Japan: Leading the robotic charge into the future

The Nao may not have been developed in Japan, but we're gonna take a wild guess and say it stands to be pretty popular even with its US$7,000 price tag and 2010 release. (Video courtesy CNET)

Yes, it was a big week for robot news with Japan hogging most -- but not all -- of the attention.

CNNGo has already discussed how Japan is crazy for giant robots and how they are, "the proposed solution" for Japan's aging issue, and the lack of young labor that is available to care for the elderly.

So really it is no surprise when CNN reported that Japan is paving the way for medical technological robotics research, while Panasonic announced it has developed a robotic bed that can transform into a wheelchair.

Such a facination with robotics translates into some killer "toys." This week Vstone (sponsors of the Robo Cup) showed off the new robovie-nano which is pretty nifty even if it isn't helping to change lives.

But despite Japan leading the robotics charge, what has to be the most impressive entertainment robot is actually being developed by Paris based Aldebaran. Posted on CNET's Crave the Nao is actually closer to an android than the standard toy robot. The household edition of Nao is slated for release in 2010 and should drop tp around US$7,000 retail. When Sony released the US$2,000 Aibo, it never really appealed to a demographic larger than "robot pet lovers."

Is Japan heading into a "future dovetailing perfectly with the tranquil scenes at the beginning of a dystopian horror movie in which robots are still our friends" like CNNGo Tokyo Editor W. David Marx suggested? Maybe, but if so at least we'll have some cool stuff to play with as our bodies are used as batteries to power our new robotic masters.

About the author: Chris Anderson is the Associate Editor of CNNGo. He manages the regional content, writes (when he has time,) and manages the main page.

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