'There was a lot of optimism in the beginning when robots first appeared on the scene. But some of us began to realise there was a major miscalculation in building robots - and that had to do with the belief that complicated programming was involved.' 'The best robots today are those that are the simplest in what they do. These are the ones that have one task and do it well. Any time you try and build one that does a multitude of things, like a robot that can do everything at home, you inevitably fail because there are too many ways in which something can go wrong.' Matsushita said its technology would
eventually be able to cope with a wide range of general housekeeping chores.
Other robot models, fitted with features such as cameras and mobile
connections, could eventually work as security guards or as carers for children
or the elderly. Japan leads the world in robot use, installing nearly half of
all the new robots in 2000. |
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