The Robot & AI Revolution I
Robots will Change Work & Industry

“GLORY, a manufacturer of currency-counters and other machines, has installed 18 NEXTAGE units in its Saitama factory. On one of the production lines there are 4 NEXTAGE units, and only the final process is handled by a human. In other words, 4 out of 5 jobs are handled by a robot.”

“Care was given to its design. In order for a robot to successfully infiltrate amongst human beings, it must not make the surrounding humans feel tense or nervous. As a result, the robot has a friendly and approachable feel to it; like its elliptically shaped head section, for example. Care has also been given to safety, deliberately giving the robot’s arms a curved shape so as not to trap the fingers of their human co-workers.”

“Something interesting is taking place at the companies where NEXTAGE has been introduced. They say that, because of their endearing aura, almost without exception the robots are being given names by the (human) employees. These are not typical robot-style names. As Shiroma Naohito, Director at Kawada Robotics says, “foreign-style or Japanese style, male or female…the naming-rules differ from company to company,” so it’s clear to see that these robots are being welcomed with affection.”

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