Aichi, Japan, November 22, 2004 -- The Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition will conduct a Robot Project at EXPO 2005. The project will feature working robots that clean, patrol, guide visitors, and perform other tasks, as well as prototype robots.

Japan's robotic technology is of a globally competitive standard and is expected to grow into one of the key industries of the nation. Years of research and development have already yielded numerous robots that are in practical use today. The market is estimated to reach 1.8 trillion by 2010.

In the light of these facts the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) have been jointly promoting a project for the practical application of next-generation robots. Held under the joint sponsorship of the Expo Association and NEDO, the Robot Project will offer visitors to EXPO 2005 the opportunity to encounter diverse robots: approximately 100 robots that NEDO has been developing based on funds provided by METI, in addition to robots developed by the private sector.

Japanese people have had an affinity to robots for decades, largely due to their depiction in animation and other fiction. Through EXPO 2005, the Expo Association believes it is highly important to provide the experience of a future in which robots and people coexist and to demonstrate Japan's technologies and robotic culture to the world.

Programs promoted by the Government of Japan

Five types of robots will be working at the Expo:

Sanitation robots will clean exterior floors and collect and replace garbage bins;

Security robots enable remote surveillance, can detect fire, and give simple directions;

Guide robots will guide visitors in four languages;

Child-care robots will play and talk with children;

Next-generation wheelchair robots will transport visitors, avoiding obstacles.

Programs promoted by the Government of Japan

Prototype robots that have not yet reached the practical stage but hold future potential are being developed under the Prototype Development Support Program. The Expo Association will organize a Prototype Robot Exhibition featuring all 63 prototypes. The exhibition will be held for 11 days from Thursday, June 9, to Sunday, June 19, at the Morizo and Kiccoro Exhibition Center, a convention venue in the Expo site.

Programs promoted by the Expo

The Robot Station will be created in the former Aichi Children's Center building, located in the Interactive Fun Zone, as the hub of the Robot Project. The pavilion will include a stage on which working robots will give demonstrations, an exhibition booth in which robots will undergo maintenance, and other attractions. Here visitors will be able to interact with robots at any time.

The Robot Project will comprise the Working Robots, the Prototype Robot Exhibition, and the Robot Station. The Expo Association and NEDO will jointly produce the project based on the keywords Fun, Interaction, and Embracing Dreams.

The project will be cosponsored by the Sankei Shimbun and Fuji Sankei Business.

What is EXPO 2005?

The 2005 World Exposition, Aichi, Japan is located in the Nagoya Eastern Hills (Nagakute Town, Toyota City and Seto City). The exposition runs from 25 March - 25 September, 2005 (total of 185 days).

EXPO 2005 Message

The 20th century saw the formation of a new global society. The remarkable progress made in science and technology, the development of high-speed methods of transportation, and the evolution of information and communications technologies have all accelerated the global interchange of people, goods, and information to an unbelievable extent. The world has been truly transformed.

Human beings' seemingly insatiable desire for expansion, the source of this transformation, continues unabated. This has placed a tremendous burden on the natural environment, exceeding its capacity for self-recovery. The result is that we must now deal with a number of potential world crises.

The time has come for the people who make up the global society of the 21st century to work together in the pursuit of a sustainable and harmonious coexistence for all life on Earth. Paramount to this is a global perspective.

The original press release was supplemented with materials at http://www-1.expo2005.or.jp by D. Power, Editor DSSResources.COM.

Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition
Headquarters/Nagakute Area:
1533-1 Kumahari Nagakute-cho,
Aichi-gun, Aichi 480-1101 Japan
Phone:+81-561-61-2005
Fax:+81-561-61-7600
link@expo2005.or.jp