At the time of its launch in 2015, Erica was dubbed not only the most beautiful but also the most intelligent android. Several other female-like robots have made headlines since then, but the Japanese ...

For centuries, hospitality in Japan has meant kimono-clad innkeepers attentive to the last detail. Now, androids from the company that licenses Hello Kitty will staff a new hotel. A theme park near ...

Asimo is an ongoing project for Honda's R&D department. The first prototype was completed in 2000; the second generation arrived in 2005. Three research teams -- in Europe, Japan and the US -- are ...

Beginning in the 1960’s, the rise of manufacturing for the automotive industry and the concomitant rise of industrial robots played an indispensable role in powering Japan’s economic miracle. By the ...

In Japan, robots are more than mere gadgetry--they're practically family. Unlike the U.S., where the icons of a dawning era of robots tend to be either the faceless, Frisbee-shaped, floor-scrubbing ...

KYOTO, Japan — The robot appeared in the hotel hallway as if out of nowhere, R2D2-sized, silently rolling, on a mission of undetermined nature from its robot overlords. A group of us Yankee travelers ...