AFP, Tokyo :
The robot olympics are coming to Japan in 2020, the same year that the eyes of the world will be on the summer games in Tokyo.
As top human athletes battle for medals, their cutting-edge droid counterparts will also be locked in fierce competition at the “World Robot Summit”.
Japan’s trade ministry is hosting the event which will feature “competitions and exhibits” involving a variety of machines including humanoid and industrial robots, a government official said Wednesday.
The exact date and location of the event has yet to be determined, with the ministry now inviting bids from cities across Japan, which is famed for its robot technology.
In recent years, the country has sent a talking robot into space as a conversation partner for Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, as part of a project to see how the machine could act as a companion for isolated people.
The robot olympics are coming to Japan in 2020, the same year that the eyes of the world will be on the summer games in Tokyo.
As top human athletes battle for medals, their cutting-edge droid counterparts will also be locked in fierce competition at the “World Robot Summit”.
Japan’s trade ministry is hosting the event which will feature “competitions and exhibits” involving a variety of machines including humanoid and industrial robots, a government official said Wednesday.
The exact date and location of the event has yet to be determined, with the ministry now inviting bids from cities across Japan, which is famed for its robot technology.
In recent years, the country has sent a talking robot into space as a conversation partner for Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, as part of a project to see how the machine could act as a companion for isolated people.
