People read human characteristics into the design of social robots, a visual process with socio-cultural implications. One factor may be nationality, a complex social characteristic that is linked to ethnicity, culture, and other factors of identity that can be embedded in the visual design of robots. Guided by social identity theory (SIT), we explored the notion of "mukokuseki," a visual design characteristic defined by the absence of visual cues to national and ethnic identity in Japanese cultural exports. In a two-phase categorization study (n=212), American (n=110) and Japanese (n=92) participants rated a random selection of nine robot stimuli from America and Japan, plus multinational Pepper. We found evidence of made-in and two kinds of mukokuseki effects. We offer suggestions for the visual design of mukokuseki robots that may interact with people from diverse backgrounds. Our findings have implications for robots and social identity, the viability of robotic exports, and the use of robots internationally.

"I do believe'love' exists between Pepper and I," Tomomi Ota declares. "But it is not the kind of love one has for a lover, but rather for a family member." Since November 2014, Ota has been sharing her life with the humanoid robot Pepper, touted as the very first robot with "a heart." A media design researcher at Keio University and professor of music at the Osaka College of Music, Ota travels with the 1.2 meter-tall, 28-kilogram bot by train, taking her wheeled partner to restaurants and cafes. Occasionally, she also attends wedding ceremonies with her Pepper as a companion.

Although data-driven motion mapping methods are promising to allow intuitive robot control and teleoperation that generate human-like robot movement, they normally require tedious pair-wise training for each specific human and robot pair. This paper proposes a transferability-based mapping scheme to allow new robot and human input systems to leverage the mapping of existing trained pairs to form a mapping transfer chain, which will reduce the number of new pair-specific mappings that need to be generated. The first part of the mapping schematic is the development of a Synergy Mapping via Dual-Autoencoder (SyDa) method. This method uses the latent features from two autoencoders to extract the common synergy of the two agents. Secondly, a transferability metric is created that approximates how well the mapping between a pair of agents will perform compared to another pair before creating the motion mapping models. Thus, it can guide the formation of an optimal mapping chain for the new human-robot pair. Experiments with human subjects and a Pepper robot demonstrated 1) The SyDa method improves the accuracy and generalizability of the pair mappings, 2) the SyDa method allows for bidirectional mapping that does not prioritize the direction of mapping motion, and 3) the transferability metric measures how compatible two agents are for accurate teleoperation. The combination of the SyDa method and transferability metric creates generalizable and accurate mapping need to create the transfer mapping chain.

This article has been excerpted from The Equality Machine: Harnessing Digital Technology for a Brighter, More Inclusive Future by Orly Lobel. For years, Japan has been the indisputable leader in robotics. If Tanzania's Olduvai Gorge is the cradle of humanity, Japan is the cradle of the humanoids, developing the first humanoid robot in the 1970s and many iterations since. Japanese roboticists pioneered the notion that artificial intelligence should be embodied. While the West focused more on algorithms in the abstract, Japanese institutions believed that AI innovation should be developed alongside--or rather, within--a physical artificial body. Japanese roboticists have been leading the way in realizing the aspiration to create robots that offer companionship to humans for decades.

SoftBank's vision is one filled with more robots. The Japanese conglomerate has made a string of investments in robotics companies from cleaning to warehouses in the few years. Now it wants to bring robots to restaurants, which are facing a shortage of human workers. SoftBank Robotics America, a subsidiary of SoftBank, has partnered with Gausium, a Chinese robotics startup, to expand its autonomous cleaning and service robots to the US. With the purpose of automating certain tasks, the Scrubber 50 Pro can scrub, sweep, dust, mop, and sanitize.

Let's talk humanoids for a minute, shall we? Why do so many roboticists insist on creating robots that look like us? Get ready to see plenty more humanoid robots. The subject is top of mind for a few reasons. First -- and most prominently -- is the fact that Tesla plans to unveil a version of Optimus (aka Tesla Bot) that isn't just a person in spandex. Develop the next generation of automation, including a general purpose, bi-pedal, humanoid robot capable of performing tasks that are unsafe, repetitive or boring.

Robotics is the new innovation, especially in this technologically driven world we live in. Manufacturing, logistics, military, research, and operations all use it to make our jobs easier. Back in 2012, SoftBank Robotics embarked on a journey to revolutionise the way robots -- as co-bots -- work alongside humans to transform and accelerate several industries, including in cleaning and food and beverage. Robotics can be used to solve a variety of problems. Along with offering consistency, robots can increase efficiency, productivity, and work in hazardous environments, such as the deployment of robots in military situations and where dangerous chemicals are involved.

"With AI, we can really target and segment who gets what message and based on previous purchases and viewing habits. We can see how we can customize our messaging," Park said. An example of this AI-driven marketing approach is the way the chain -- which has some 2,000 locations in the U.S., Canada and Europe -- targets the 27 million loyalty rewards members who have downloaded its mobile app. Chipotle uses recommendation algorithms to send notifications to users of the app about deals tailored to the different foods they've ordered before, therefore improving their customer experience, according to the company. Chipotle also uses AI to improve customer service.

A New York publisher analyzed how he has an encounter with a humanoid AI robot acting as a staff member for more specific assistance. According to him, the robot bears the name'Pepper'. Pepper is a robot that recognizes faces and emotions. She can respond through voice or by displaying messages on a tablet embedded in her torso. Resembling a friendly futuristic doll, Pepper is not only a unique dialogue member, but a concrete pointer into the future of financial technology.

Robotics firm Boston Dynamics has unveiled the latest version of its highly-advanced Atlas robot, showing the machine performing parkour tricks over obstacles. Boston Dynamics describes Atlas as the "world's most dynamic humanoid," with previous videos showing the robot performing backflips. "The control software uses the whole body including legs, arms and torso, to marshal the energy and strength for jumping over the log and leaping up the steps without breaking its pace," the video's description states. A caretaker wearing a'HAL for care support' robot suit pushes a wheelchair at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo. Residents follow moves made by humanoid robot'Pepper' during an afternoon exercise routine at Shin-tomi nursing home in Tokyo.