Robots, Kiccoro, Morizo, OH MY!

On March 24th the 2005 World Exposition kicked off in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, to a fanfare led by robot trumpeters, the EXPO Super World Orchestra, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, and members of the Imperial family. Not dissimilar to the first exposition held in London, 1851, the 21st century’s first World Exposition showcases progressive technologies and products.

The overarching theme of Aichi Expo 2005, “Nature’s Wisdom,” however, is unlike previous world expositions. Hosting 120 different countries and 4 international organizations (International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, International Tropical Timber Organization, and the United Nations), Aichi Expo 2005 aims at providing perspective. The dream is for the expo to serve as the impetus for uniting the international community and setting a new sustainable direction for humanity.

Running until September 25th, the expo will only have 185 days in which to accomplish its objective. Its theme stresses environmental harmony and civic action and is evident not only in the fair’s aim, but also in its construction.

Typically expositions have been development-oriented and have involved clearing large tracks of land to exhibit advancements in technology. Aichi Expo will be different. In line with its theme, Aichi Expo 2005 has constructed its site in the natural Nagakute Area, formerly Youth Park, and has limited changes to the topographical and ecological area. For example, the so-called “Global Loop” is a 69 foot wide and 1.6 mile long walkway that forms a figure 8 and stands 46 feet above the ground. In addition to foot traffic, the loop also plays host to the first commercially run magnetically levitated linear motor cars, which serve as an alternative transportation means. It is said that via the Global Loop, visitors will be able to tour the world.

And what a world it is. Environmental exhibits cover a wide array of global concerns. A new energy exhibit exists which demonstrates uses of methane fermentation, gasification, and sunlight. The Bio-lung puts into action new greening technologies for urban environments and aims to express means of curbing global warming, heat island phenomenon, and the environmental impact of urbanization. Others environmental exhibits will include permeable pavement to reduce runoff, fuel cell hybrid buses to reduce green-house gas emissions, reused organic building material, and new uses for recyclable material for construction.

Two other major stalwarts of the Expo are the Robot Project and the Mammoth Excavation and Exhibition Project. The former illustrates the numerous roles robots will come to play in our lives and the latter hosts the one guest who has surely gone to the greatest length to arrive at the Expo: the 18,000 year old remains of the Yukagir Mammoth excavated from the Siberian permafrost of the Russian Federation. In contrast to their prehistoric cousin, the robots take center stage at Robot Station.

The affinity Japanese people have for robots is undeniable and far-reaching. In an era when Japan’s consumer electronic empire has come under direct competitive threat from lower cost producers, there is heavy expectation that the years of research and development in robotics will grow into a strategic industry for the nation. The Government of Japan has supported five groups of robots that will be working at the Expo: guide robots with the ability to communicate in four languages, child-care robots, wheelchair robots for transport, and security robots.

Other robot prototypes will be promoted at the Robot Exhibition: network robots for utilizing intelligent information infrastructures, experiential robots which make use of sensory inputs such as an artificial tongue or multifingered haptic interface, outdoor skilled-work robots for labor, special-environment robots for exploring hazardous environments, medical and welfare robots used to care for people, partner robots for companionship, performance robots for advanced movement, and humanoid robots for simulating humans. Other robots such as Sony's QRIO (a humanoid robot), Toyota's Partner Robot, and Honda's ASIMO (a bipedal robot) will be featured at the corporate pavilion.

Each of the participating countries will each have their own pavilions to display their respective nation’s heritage and culture. Countries are grouped into “Global Commons,” which are based on geographic location. For example, Global Common 6 houses 20 countries from Oceania and Southeast Asia.

In my thinking, Japan is uniquely qualified to host a world exposition which aims to integrate technology and human innovation with life and nature. In the course of Japan’s rapid economic development, the natural resource deficient nation learned quickly the importance of separating economic imperatives and social constraints from human values and co-existence with nature. Let us all learn from nature’s wisdom.