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Robotics in Japan

January - 2015

Peter Van der Weeën

Akoni KK

EU-JAPAN CENTRE FOR INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION - Head office in Japan EU-JAPAN CENTRE FOR INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION - OFFICE in the EU
Shirokane-Takanawa Station bldg 4F Rue Marie de Bourgogne, 52/2
1-27-6 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-0072, JAPAN B-1000 Brussels, BELGIUM
Tel: +81 3 6408 0281 - Fax: +81 3 6408 0283 - [email protected] Tel : +32 2 282 0040 –Fax : +32 2 282 0045 - [email protected]
http://www.eu-japan.eu / http://www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu / http://www.een-japan.eu
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TABLE OF CONTENT
1. Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................................... 3
2. Market Analysis.................................................................................................................................................. 8
2.1. Market Overview and Key Segments...................................................................................................................... 8
2.1.1. Market Size .................................................................................................................................................... 10
2.2. Industrial robots for the manufacturing industry................................................................................................. 13
2.2.1. Scope .............................................................................................................................................................. 13
2.2.2. Key Players ..................................................................................................................................................... 17
2.2.3. Trend and Opportunity................................................................................................................................... 20
2.3. Service robots for industrial and personal use ..................................................................................................... 21
2.3.1. Scope .............................................................................................................................................................. 21
2.3.2. Key Players ..................................................................................................................................................... 24
2.3.3. Trend and Opportunity................................................................................................................................... 27
2.4. RoboTech -Components for the Robot Industry .................................................................................................. 29
2.4.1. Scope .............................................................................................................................................................. 29
2.4.2. Key Players ..................................................................................................................................................... 32
2.4.3. Trend and Opportunity................................................................................................................................... 35

3. Market Standards, Laws and Regulations ............................................................................................... 36

3.1. Safety Requirements ............................................................................................................................................ 36
3.1.1. Centre for Service Robot Safety Verification .................................................................................................. 36
3.1.2. ISO 13849-1:2006........................................................................................................................................... 36
3.1.3. Easing of the 80W regulation ........................................................................................................................ 37
3.2. Regulatory Organisations ..................................................................................................................................... 37
3.2.1. METI & NEDO ................................................................................................................................................. 37
3.2.2. NEDO, AIST, JARI ............................................................................................................................................ 37
3.3. Government Initiatives ......................................................................................................................................... 38
3.3.1. Robot Revolution Realization Council ............................................................................................................ 38
3.3.2. Robot City - Kitakyushu .................................................................................................................................. 38

4. Trade Fairs and Related Organizations ................................................................................................... 39

4.1. Major Robotics Related Trade Fairs ..................................................................................................................... 39
4.2. Robotics Related Events ....................................................................................................................................... 41
4.3. Robotics Related Organizations............................................................................................................................ 41

5. Bibliographical References .......................................................................................................................... 43

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1. Executive Summary
When talking about robots, Japan is probably one of the first countries that come to mind. Several decades
ago Japan was the first country to seriously delve into robotics research, and the country has remained a
dominant force in the field’s research and manufacturing sectors ever since. For the past 40 years Japan
has been responsible for producing the vast majority of the world’s robots and the country has an
operational base of more than 300,000 robots.

In this report we break the Robotics market down into the following three major sections:

 Industrial robots for the manufacturing industry

 Service robots for industrial and personal use
 RoboTech – Components for the Robot Industry

Also the agricultural industry employs a wide range of robots, e.g. for fruit harvesting and milking, however
the market share is relatively small and has been omitted in this report.

Market Size and Projections

Based on research by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and
the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) we can see that the overall robotics industry is
currently valued at around 1.6 trillion JPY (12 billion EUR) and is expected to almost double in size to 2.85
trillion JPY by 2020. As the technology advances new products are expected to appear on the market
fuelling further
growth of 10-15%
a year over the
period 2020-2035.

Robots versus
Ageing
Population

Japan’s latest
robots are being
designed to take
care of its greying
population. With a
strong emphasis
on robotics, Japan
has delivered a
sizable
contribution to the
digital health
revolution.
However Japan’s
creation of robots
for the healthcare
industry originates
only partly from its
drive towards
maintaining a
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technological edge. Another important reason is that its society is aging faster than any
country in the world, which poses a threat to its economic prosperity.

Severe labour shortage leads the need for robots in the nursing field

To some degree, robots are seen as a substitute for foreign labour. Immigrant caregivers already fill many
jobs in hospitals and nursing homes in western countries, but they are rather scarce in Japan due to
immigration restrictions. The government has decided to expand a six-year-old guest-worker programme
for nurses and care workers from the Philippines and Indonesia, but this is unlikely to address the existing
labour shortage. Since the programme began in 2008, no more than 1,562 applicants have been admitted.
The government is meanwhile pushing hard to speed up development and adoption of nursing technology.
To stimulate the reduction in the cost of nursing care robots it has started offering 2.4 billion JPY in
subsidies to developers who aim to build care robots priced less than 100,000 JPY (about 700 EUR).

Industrial robots for the manufacturing industry

Robots offer strength, high speed, high endurance and precision. Until five years ago, the automotive
industry accounted
for 70% of the global
market for robots,
according to Morten
Paulsen, machinery
analyst at CLSA
Asia-Pacific Markets,
but since 2012 that
share has fallen to
around 50% as the
demand for
nonautomotive
applications has
increased more
rapidly. Nowadays
industrial robots are
widely applied in the
manufacturing of
automobile parts,
electrical and
electronic
appliances,
chemicals, machinery and metal processing.

Typical applications of robots include but are not limited to e.g. welding, painting, assembly, pick and place
(such as packaging, palletizing), product inspection, and testing. Today industrial robots are capable of
lifting hundreds of kilograms of payload and positioning that weight with accuracy to a fraction of a
millimetre. Sophisticated control algorithms are used to perform positioning tasks exceptionally well in
clearly structured environments.

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The sub-sectors covered in the Industrial Robots section are:

Automobile Manufacturing robots; Electrical/Electronic Appliance Manufacturing robots;

Cargo/Transportation robots; Arc & Spot Welding robots; Single Axis and Cartesian robots; Electric slider
and Tabletop robot; Palletizing & Take Out robots; SCARA and Vertical Articulated robots; Glass Substrate
Transfer and Wafer Transfer robots

Market Size and Projections of the Industrial Robots sub-sector

The Robotics industry as a whole is expected to grow fast in the next 20 years and for the sub-sector of
industrial robots the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) are projecting a steady growth of 5% per year between
2015 and 2020 and beyond.

Every trend has often a counter-trend. In the manufacturing environments we have witnessed a growing
reliance on robots to replace human workers as these are generally speaking more cost effective.
However, most recently we can also notice a counter movement where companies have started replacing
robots with humans again. Toyota is one of these companies and they have started promoting
craftsmanship at their manufacturing plants again.

Experienced craftsmen used to be called "gods", or Kami-sama in Japanese, and it was generally known
that they could make anything. These "gods" are now making a comeback, even though Toyota is the
company that long set the pace for manufacturing efficiency in the auto industry.

Toyota's vision is that the company needs to sharpen the manual skills of their workers and further develop
them, so they can figure out ways to improve production lines and the car-building process.

Service robots for industrial and personal use

Simply put, Service Robots assist human beings by performing a job that is dirty, dull, distant, dangerous or
repetitive, including household chores. They typically are autonomous or operated by a built-in control
system, with the option to manually override certain behaviour.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has suggested a tentative definition for “service robot”: A
service robot is a robot which operates semi- or fully autonomously to perform services useful to the well
being of humans and equipment, excluding manufacturing operations.

The sub-sectors covered in the Service Robots section are:

Medical Robots; Nursing Care Robots; Rescue Robots;

Facility Inspection Robots; Floor Cleaning Robots;
Communications / Entertainment Robots; Reception /
Guidance Robots; Educational Robots; Mobility and Power
Assistant / Amplification Suits; Lawn Mowing Robots;
Humanoid Robots

Market Size and Projections of the Service Robots sub-

sector

The service robots industry is expected to expand at a rate

of 20 to 25% per year over the next 10 years, an incredible

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growth story. Medical and nursing care sectors are expected to grow the fastest out of
necessity, given Japan’s greying population and shortage of caregivers.

With the introduction of nanotechnologies the manufacturers are able to drastically miniaturize the robots,
making them suitable for home applications. Especially adding the “emotion” factor to humanoid robots
makes them far more versatile and opens up new possibilities around education for toddlers, children and
adults.

Similar to Aldebaran from France, delivering the know-how for Pepper, also other European companies can
play a key role in this area, e.g. in the field of language training, a 500+ billion JPY (3.7 billion EUR) market!

Another exciting outcome of the miniaturization driven by nanotechnology is the development of

microscopic robots that can be injected into the human body. Experiments are already under way (also in
Europe) to use externally generated magnetic fields to guide these minuscule devices in the human body.
The researchers expect that one day in the not too distant future we will be able to put a mechanical
surgeon inside a blood vessel and send it out into the heart for a medical examination and even small-scale
surgery.

RoboTech – Components for the Robot Industry

Commonly called “RoboTech”, is the field of high-precision servomotors, cables, many different types of
sensors and other components or products used to build and maintain robots.

A robot includes several main parts such as the controller, arms, end effectors, motors and sensors.
The controller is the "brain" of the robot arm and allows the parts of the robot to operate together. It can
also allow the robot to be connected to other systems.
Robot arms can vary in size and shape. It is the part that positions the end effector. With the robot arm, the
shoulder, elbow, and wrist move and twist to position the end effector in the right position.
The end effector connects to the robot's arm and functions as a hand. This part will usually come in direct
contact with the material the robot is manipulating. Some examples of such effectors are welding torches,
magnets, and grippers, but also e.g. a vacuum pump. Some robots have an Automatic Tool Changer,
allowing them to change end effectors and thus can be used for different sets of tasks.
The engine or motor of a robot moves the links into their designated positions. The links are the sections
between the joints. Industrial robot arms generally use hydraulic, electric, or pneumatic motors.
Sensors allow the robot to receive feedback about its environment. They can give the robot a certain sense
of sight, sound, temperature, (gyro) direction.

The sub-sectors covered in the RoboTech section are:

FA Cables; Servo Motors; Close Control Reduction Gear; Sensors;

Robot Vision Systems; Automatic Tool Changers

Market Size and Projections of the RoboTech sub-sector

The RoboTech sector is expected to grow by around 20% per year

over the next 5 years and also after that the market is projected to
expand at a fast pace, a very bright prospective for companies active
in this field.

The shift towards nanotechnologies allows smaller and far more accurate sensors. Especially in terms of
vision technology, which is partly hardware and partly software driven, the technology is advancing quickly.

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The miniaturization of servo-motors and other components allows the construction of
robots with more elastic, visco-elastic and other types of joints, resulting into robots that
can “walk” in a more natural way through the additional degrees of flexibility.

As the service robot market opens up to consumer products there will be a strong need for lower cost
components. Companies that find the right balance between quality, durability and price for their products
will see a growing number of opportunities to expand their business, also in Japan.

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2. Market Analysis
2.1. Market Overview and Key Segments
When talking about robots, Japan is probably one of the
first countries that come to mind. Several decades ago
Japan was the first country to seriously delve into
robotics research, and the country has remained a
dominant force in the field’s research and manufacturing
sectors ever since. As Fig 2 points out, for the past 40
years Japan has been responsible for producing the
vast majority of the world’s robots. Recently one can
notice that the balance has been shifting, and it may not
be long before South Korea, China, Germany, and other
countries start to lead for the cutting edge of robotic
innovation. Japan, however, is likely to remain a strong Figure 1 Honda's Asimo leading an orchestra
contender for the foreseeable future.

Figure 2 Industrial Robots - New units sold and operational stock (2012)

In this report the Robotics market is broken down into the following three major sections:

 Industrial robots for the manufacturing industry

 Service robots for industrial and personal use
 RoboTech – Components for the Robot Industry

Also the agricultural industry employs a wide range of robots, e.g. for fruit harvesting and milking, however
the market share is relatively small and has been omitted in this report.

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Robots versus Ageing Population

Japan’s latest robots are being designed to take care of its greying
population.

With a strong emphasis on robotics, Japan has delivered a sizable

contribution to the digital health revolution. However Japan’s creation of
robots for the healthcare industry originates only partly from its drive towards
maintaining a technological edge. Another important reason is that its
society is aging faster than any country in the world, which poses a threat to
its economic prosperity.

Twenty-five per cent of the Japanese population, or almost 32 million

people, are older than 65. According to the WHO World Health Statistics
2014 report, the life expectancy
of the Japanese men and
women remains amongst the
highest in the world. In
combination with the very low
birth rate of 1.2 births per
woman, the country is unable to
keep up with the rate of people
entering old age. There are not
enough (young) people to take Figure 4 Honda’s Stride
care of the growing number of Management Assist system
seniors, or to contribute to the
Japanese economy as a viable workforce. Through robotics,
Japan is trying to create a digital health solution to take care of
Figure 3 Example of a "helper robot" its greying population.

Severe labour shortage leads the need for robots in the nursing field

To some degree, robots are seen as a substitute

for foreign labour. Immigrant caregivers fill many
jobs in hospitals and nursing homes in western
countries, but they are rather scarce in Japan due
to immigration restrictions. The government has
decided to expand a six-year-old guest-worker
programme for nurses and care workers from the
Philippines and Indonesia, but this is unlikely to
address the existing labour shortage. Since the
programme began in 2008, no more than 1,562
applicants have been admitted. The government is
meanwhile pushing hard to speed up development
and adoption of nursing technology. To stimulate
the reduction in the cost of nursing care robots it
has started offering 2.4 billion JPY in subsidies to
developers who aim to build care robots priced
less than 100,000 JPY (about 700 EUR). Figure 5 Imagining the work environment of the future (Src:
NEDO white paper 2014)

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2.1.1. Market Size
Based on statistics released by the Japan Robot Association, the robotics industry stood
at 730 billion JPY in 2006 and fell to 280 billion JPY after the Lehman Shock in 2009. By 2012 it had grown
again to 530 billion JPY. About 70% of this market can be accounted for by the automobile and electric
appliance and machinery sectors. Between 60 and 70% of the products are exported, especially towards
North-East Asia (China).

Figure 6 Robotics industry market size (1980-2012)

Year-to-year comparison of the domestic

sales volume

Since 2006 the domestic market has

consistently seen shipments of more than
5,000 robots per year, even during the
Lehman Shock economic downturn when
volume suddenly dropped by almost 30%.
Since then we have witnessed a very strong
recovery of the industry with unit volume
tripling year on year.

Figure 7 Comparison on the yearly domestic sales volume

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Projections 2010-2035

In 2010 the Ministry of Economy, Trade

and Industry (METI), in collaboration with
the New Energy and Industrial
Technology Development Organisation
(NEDO) presented their predictions for Figure 8 The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development
the growth of the Robotics industry in the Organization (NEDO) delivers regular updates on the Robotics
industry
next 25 years. At the time they took 1
trillion yen as a base line for 2010 (Later
on the actual number was revised to 0.6 trillion yen). The expectation was that the industry would grow with
60% to 1.6 trillion yen (11.3 billion EUR) by 2015.

Further projections aim at 2.9 trillion yen in 2020 and 9.7 trillion yen in 2035, a very bold and aggressive
prediction, indeed. In the sections 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 below these projections are revised and further detailed
across the Industrial/Service/RoboTech industries.

Figure 9 Market size projections for the Robotics industry

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Domestic versus Overseas market

Since the beginning the Japanese Robotics industry has been supplying to both domestic and overseas
customers. In the first half of the past decade (2001-2005) we notice that almost half of the yearly
production is sold overseas. However since then the export business has expanded rapidly, partly because
of the production shift from Japan to factories in low-cost Asian countries. Nowadays the domestic market
demand covers no more than a third of the overall production in Japan. As such the USD/JPY and
EUR/JPY exchange rate fluctuations have an important impact on the global competition.

Figure 10 Trends in export of industrial robots by geographic region

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2.2. Industrial robots for the manufacturing
industry
2.2.1. Scope
Robots offer strength, high speed, high endurance and precision. Until five years ago, the automotive
industry accounted for 70% of the global market for robots, according to Morten Paulsen, machinery
analyst at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, but since 2012 that share has fallen to around 50% as the demand
for nonautomotive applications has increased more rapidly. Nowadays industrial robots are widely applied
in the manufacturing of automobile parts, electrical and electronic appliances, chemicals, machinery and
metal processing.

Typical applications of robots include but are not limited to e.g. welding, painting, assembly, pick and place
(such as packaging, palletizing), product inspection, and testing. Today industrial robots are capable of
lifting hundreds of kilograms of payload and positioning that weight with accuracy to a fraction of a
millimetre. Sophisticated control algorithms are used to perform positioning tasks exceptionally well in
clearly structured environments.

The sub-sectors covered in this section are:

 Automobile Manufacturing robots

 Electrical/Electronic Appliance Manufacturing robots
 Cargo/Transportation robots
 Arc & Spot Welding robots
 Single Axis and Cartesian robots
 Electric slider and Tabletop robot
 Palletizing & Take Out robots
 SCARA and Vertical Articulated robots
 Glass Substrate Transfer and Wafer Transfer robots

Automobile Manufacturing Robots

In the auto sector, robots

traditionally were
employed almost
exclusively in welding and
painting but have since
seen an increase in usage
in downstream
applications such as the
engine block, windshield
and seat installation.

Global auto makers and

other companies in the
automotive supply chain
purchased 78,000 units in
2012, a strong increase
after the Lehman Shock
depression, and an
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Figure 11 Robots are used increasingly for windshield installation (source: Toyota)
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estimated 60% of these robots were sourced from Japanese manufacturers. The Japan
Robot Association reports local automotive-related sales of 43.5 billion JPY (308 million
EUR) in 2012, up 33% over the previous year and accounting for one-third of domestic shipments.

The key robot suppliers are Fanuc, Yaskawa Electric, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Nachi-Fujikoshi,
amongst others. According to market reports, Fanuc is the main supplier to Nissan, General Motors and
PSA Peugeot Citroen, and is the No.2 supplier to Honda. Yaskawa is the main supplier to Honda and has a
minority share with Nissan. Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Nachi-Fujikoshi are the main suppliers to
Toyota with Kawasaki holding an estimated 60% share. Kuka is reported as the main supplier to leading
German brands like Volkswagen, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Electrical/Electronic Appliance Manufacturing Robots

In the past decades robotics and automation have been used to make assembly processes in the
manufacturing industry more efficient.
Advanced technologies like 2D or even
3D vision to locate parts and guide robots
and then force sensing to determine how
parts go together can significantly
increase the productivity of robots. Even
in countries like China the robots are
starting to replace low-cost labourers.

The use of robots, capable of smooth

transfers and assembly, for flat-screen TV
assembly reduces glass breakage and
ensures stable quality during the
production.

These trends are transforming our

assembly lines and clean rooms.

Figure 12 An automated large flat-screen television assembly line

(source: Hirata)

Figure 13 Clean room cell using SCARA robots to inspect

and assemble high-precision electronic components

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Robots for Molding Machines

Plastic is a polymer material that can be moulded into any

desired shape by applying heat and pressure to it. Plastic that
has thermal plasticity becomes soft and malleable when heated
so it is easy to process. Injection molding is a process where
plastic that has been melted at high temperatures is injected
into a mold and cooled to form the molded product. Dedicated
robots that take the plastic out of the mold are called take-out
robots. Often these robots take the molded products out of the
mold, and transfer them to the next process or stock them in
containers for shipping.

Figure 14 Yushin SVR-B50 take-out robot

Transportation robots

On March 12, 2013 Hitachi unveiled "Ropits", a robot vehicle that can pick up and drop off passengers
autonomously.

Also described as the Robot for Personal Intelligent Transport System, the tiny, single-seat Ropits is a
single-person autonomous vehicle meant to travel on sidewalks rather than roads, similar to Segways.
Developed for elderly and disabled drivers, the vehicle is equipped with GPS to find its way and relies on
cameras and 2D/3D laser distance sensors to avoid pedestrians and other obstacles. Gyro sensors help it
stay stable on
uneven surfaces.
Passengers climb
into Ropits through a
front hatch and
specify their
destination via a
touch-screen tablet
interface.

Figure 15 Hitachi's Ropits mobility robot drives itself (source: Hitachi)

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Palletizing Robots

The workspace for the robot is called a "cell". Packages or bags are typically transported to the cell by
conveyor. Once the packages are in the cell they are
arranged to be picked up. The robot will then palletize them,
moving them from the conveyor to a pre-determined pattern
on a pallet. Once a pallet is full it is moved out of the cell to
the next stage of the logistics chain. The palletizing robot is
chosen based on features such as the required speed,
maximum product weight, and size of the packages. An end
of arm tooling handles the packages, and pallets, slip
sheets, and so on. A computer program controls the
palletisation pattern and an operator controls everything and
Figure 16 The Okura A1600 series palletizing
robot has 360 degrees of rotation angle (R-axis) is alerted when an error occurs.

Market Size Trends and Projections

Based on research by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and
the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) we note that the Industrial Robots sub-sector is

Figure 17 Market size projections for the Industrial Robots sub-sector

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estimated to grow to about 1 trillion JPY (6.9 billion EUR) in 2015. By 2020 the market is
expected to increase by another 25% to 1.25 trillion yen. Also for the 2025-2035 period
the market is expected to grow at a strong pace.

2.2.2. Key Players

Key players in robotics for the Automobile Manufacturing sector are:

Company Website
Toyota Motor Corporation http://www.toyota-global.com/
Panasonic Corporation http://panasonic.net/
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. http://world.honda.com/
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. https://www.fhi.co.jp/english/
ZMP Inc. http://www.zmp.co.jp/
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/

Key players in the Electrical/Electronic Appliance Manufacturing business sector are:

Company Website
Toshiba Corporation http://www.toshiba.co.jp/worldwide/
Hitachi Ltd. http://www.hitachi.com/
Fujitsu Limited http://www.fujitsu.com/global/
NEC Corporation http://www.nec.com/
Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. http://www.khi.co.jp/english/

Key players in the Single Axis and Cartesian robot business sector are:

Company Website
Iai Corporation http://www.iai-gmbh.de/en/
Koganei Corporation http://www.koganeiusa.com/
THK Co., Ltd. http://www.thk.com/
Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. http://www.toshiba-machine.co.jp/en/
NSK Ltd. http://www.nsk.com/
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/
Rorze Corporation http://www.rorzeautomation.com/
Denso Wave Incorporation https://www.denso-wave.com/en/
Hirata Corporation http://www.hirata.co.jp/en/
Seiko Epson Corp. http://global.epson.com/
Nidec Sankyo Corporation http://www.nidec-sankyo.co.jp/english/

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Key players in the Cargo/Transportation business sector are:

Company Website
Fujita Corporation http://www.fujita.com/
Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd. http://panasonic.co.jp/phc/company/
Toshiba Corporation http://www.toshiba.co.jp/worldwide/
Toshiba Tec Corporation https://www.toshibatec.co.jp/en/corporate/
Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. http://www.hitachi-ies.co.jp/english/
Murata Machinery, Ltd. http://www.muratec.net/
Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/

Key players in the Arc & Spot welding robot, and Paint robot business sector are:

Company Website
Daihen Corporation https://www.daihen.co.jp/english/global/
Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/
Panasonic Welding Systems Co., Ltd. http://panasonic.co.jp/pws/
Fanuc Corporation http://www.fanuc.co.jp/eindex.htm
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd http://www.khi.co.jp/english/
Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp. http://www.nachi-fujikoshi.co.jp/eng/
Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. http://www.toshiba-machine.co.jp/en/

Key players in the Electric slider and Tabletop robot business sector are:

Company Website
Iai Corporation http://www.iai-gmbh.de/en/
SMC Corporation http://www.smcworld.com/en/
Oriental Motor Co., Ltd. http://www.orientalmotor.co.jp/global_site/
Kuroda Pneumatics Ltd. http://www.parkerkuroda.com/english/
Koganei Corporation http://www.koganeiusa.com/
CKD Corporation http://www.ckd.co.jp/english/
Dyadic Systems Co., Ltd. http://www.dyadic.co.jp/jp/
THK Co., Ltd. http://www.thk.com/
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/
Iwashita Engineering Inc. http://www.iwashita-eng.co.jp/en/
Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd. http://www.janome.co.jp/industrial.html
Nitto Seiko Co., Ltd. http://www.nittoseiko.co.jp/e/
Mitsubishi Electric Engineering Company Limited http://www.mee.co.jp/
Musashi Engineering Inc. http://www.musashi-engineering.co.jp

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Key players in the Palletizing & Take Out robot business sector are:

Company Website
Okura Yusoki Co., Ltd. http://www.okurayusoki.co.jp/eng/
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd http://www.khi.co.jp/english/
Fanuc Corporation http://www.fanuc.co.jp/eindex.htm
Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp. http://www.nachi-fujikoshi.co.jp/eng/
Fuji Yusoki Kogyo Co., Ltd. http://www.fujiyusoki.com/
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/worldwide/
Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/
Yusin Precision Equipment Co., Ltd. http://www.ype.co.jp/en/
Star Seiki Co., Ltd. http://www.stertec.co.jp/~star/us/
The Sailor Pen Co., Ltd. http://www.sailor.co.jp/robotics_e/
Harmo Co., Ltd. http://harmo-net.co.jp/en/

Key players in the SCARA and Vertical Articulated robot business sector are:

Company Website
Iai Corporation http://www.iai-gmbh.de/en/
Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd. http://www.janome.co.jp/industrial.html
Seiko Epson Corp. http://global.epson.com/
Denso Wave Incorporation https://www.denso-wave.com/en/
Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. http://www.toshiba-machine.co.jp/en/
Nidec Sankyo Corporation http://www.nidec-sankyo.co.jp/english/
Hirata Corporation http://www.hirata.co.jp/en/
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/worldwide/
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd http://www.khi.co.jp/english/
Daihen Corporation https://www.daihen.co.jp/english/global/
Fanuc Corporation http://www.fanuc.co.jp/eindex.htm
Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp. http://www.nachi-fujikoshi.co.jp/eng/
Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/

Key players in the Glass Substrate Transfer and Wafer Transfer robot business sector are:

Company Website
Daihen Corporation http://www.daihen.co.jp/english/global/
Toshiba Machine Co., Ltd. http://www.toshiba-machine.co.jp/en/
Nidec Sankyo Corporation http://www.nidec-sankyo.co.jp/english/
Hirata Corporation http://www.hirata.co.jp/en/
Nachi-Fujikoshi Corp. http://www.nachi-fujikoshi.co.jp/eng/
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/worldwide/

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Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/index.html

Rorze Corporation http://www.rorzeautomation.com/
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd http://www.khi.co.jp/english/

2.2.3. Trend and Opportunity

The Robotics industry as a whole is expected to grow fast in the next 20 years and for the sub-sector of
industrial robots the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and the
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) are projecting a steady growth of 5% per year between
2015 and 2020 and beyond.

Every trend has often a counter-trend. In the manufacturing environments we have witnessed a growing
reliance on robots to replace human workers as these are generally speaking more cost effective.
However, most recently we are also seeing a counter movement where companies have started replacing
robots with humans again. Toyota is one of these companies and they have started promoting
craftsmanship at their manufacturing plants.

Experienced craftsmen used to be called "gods", or Kami-sama in Japanese, and it was generally known
that they could make anything. These "gods" are now making a comeback, even though Toyota is the
company that long set the pace for manufacturing efficiency in the auto industry.

Toyota's vision is that the company needs to sharpen the manual skills of their workers and further develop
them, so they can figure out ways to improve production lines and the car-building process.

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2.3. Service robots for industrial and personal use
2.3.1. Scope
Simply put, Service Robots assist human beings by performing a job that is dirty, dull, distant, dangerous or
repetitive, including household chores. They typically are autonomous or operated by a built-in control
system, with the option to manually override certain behaviour.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has suggested a tentative definition for “service robot”: A
service robot is a robot which operates semi- or fully autonomously to perform services useful to the well
being of humans and equipment, excluding manufacturing operations1.

The sub-sectors covered in this section are:

 Medical Robots
 Nursing Care Robots
 Rescue Robots
 Facility Inspection Robots
 Floor Cleaning Robots
 Communications / Entertainment Robots
 Reception / Guidance Robots
 Educational Robots
 Mobility and Power Assistant / Amplification Suits
 Lawn Mowing Robots
 Humanoid Robots

Medical Robots

Panasonic announced in 2014 that it has developed a medical robot that dispenses drugs to patients. The
company plans to sell the robot to Japanese hospitals starting in March 2015 and has announced that it will
market it in the United States and Europe later. The price for their new robot is still unclear but will most
probably cost several thousands of euros. The
robot sorts out injection drugs to patients, saving
time for pharmacists. Pharmacists put drugs into
the robot, which stores medical data for patients.
The robot will then sort out drugs for each patient
and place them into respective drawers bearing
the names of patients. Annual revenue from these
types of medical robots is expected to reach 30
billion yen (210 million EUR) in the first year after
its launch.

Figure 18 The use of robots in the medical field

1 Source: http://www.ifr.org/service-robots/

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PARO Therapeutic Robot

Developed by AIST, a pioneer in the Japanese industrial automation industry, PARO is an advanced
interactive robot. It is used in hospitals and care facilities to provide animal therapy. PARO has been found
to reduce patient stress and their caregivers; it stimulates the social interaction between patients and
caregivers. By interaction with people, PARO responds as if it is alive. It moves its head and legs, and
makes sounds. PARO can learn to behave in a way that the user prefers, and to respond when its name is
called2.

Figure 19 The therapeutic robot "Paro"

Reception / Guidance Robots

Asimo, the world's first

walking humanoid robot has
been working as a
receptionist since 2006. The
robot has evolved a lot over
the past years but even at
that time it was able to guide
guests to a meeting room,
serve coffee on a tray and
push a cart with a load of up
to 10 kilograms.

2Source: http://karapaia.livedoor.biz/archives/52030207.html
Website: http://www.parorobots.com

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Figure 20 Asimo humanoid robot by Honda (Src: http://maelliradio.gr/)
www.EUbusinessinJapan.eu
Humanoid Robots

In June 2014, the telecom group SoftBank and Aldebaran Robotics from France presented their attempt to
enter the robotics market called Pepper, a tripod-based robot that can read human emotions. With its giant
eyes, childlike face and highly
articulated head, arms and hands, the
robot looks very humanlike and has
been designed to live with humans.
Engaging and friendly, Pepper is much
more than a robot; he’s a companion
able to communicate with humans
through voice, touch and emotions.
Pepper is expected to go on sale
sometime during 2015.

Figure 21 Pepper can communicate through voice, touch and emotions

Rescue Robots (source: aldebaran.com)

Simply put, a rescue robot is a robot that has been designed for the purpose of rescuing people. In Japan
this often means situations like e.g. earthquakes, tsunamis, urban disasters, hostage situations, and so on.
After the March 11, 2011 natural disaster robots were also used to inspect nuclear installations where the
situation was too dangerous for humans to go on site. The benefits of rescue robots in the above cases
include reduced personnel requirements, reduced fatigue, and access to otherwise unreachable areas.

New rescue robots currently under development are being

prepared for searching, reconnaissance and mapping,
removing or shoring up rubble, delivery of supplies, medical
treatment, and evacuation of casualties, amongst others.
Rather than move on tracks, these robots often crawl or
slither through rubble to reach the desired location, emulating
the movements of organisms such as snakes, caterpillars or
scorpions. Many technical challenges remain and robotics for
rescue
purposes is
still
considered
an
emerging
technology.

Figure 22 Rescue Robots by Mitsubishi Electric

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Market Size Trends and Projections

Based on research by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and
the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) we note that the sub-sector of Service Robots was
worth 60 billion JPY in 2010 and is expected to grow fivefold to about 373 billion JPY (2.6 billion EUR) in
2015. By 2020 the market is expected to triple in size once again and also in the following years the growth
is expected to remain very strong.

Figure 23 Market size projections for the Service Robots sub-sector

2.3.2. Key Players

Key players in the Medical Robot business sector are:

Company Website
tmsuk Co., Ltd. http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/english/robots.html
Adachi http://www.adachi-inc.co.jp/
Panasonic Healthcare Co., Ltd. http://panasonic.co.jp/phc/company/

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Key players in the Rescue Robot business sector are:

Company Website
International Rescue System Institute http://www.rescuesystem.org/IRSweb/home.html
Tmsuk Co., Ltd. http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/english/robots.html
Topy Industry Limited http://www.topy.co.jp/english/dept/bdp/
Hibot Corp. http://hibot.co.jp/en/home
BL Autotec, Ltd. http://www.bl-autotec.co.jp/english/
Mitsubishi Electric Tokki Systems Corporation http://www.melos.co.jp/products/robot.html

Key players in the Facility Inspection Robot business sector are:

Company Website
Asante http://www.asante.co.jp/info/robot01.html
IshikawaIron Works. http://iiw-future.com/
iXs Research Corp. http://www.ixs.co.jp/en/
Obayashi Corporation http://www.obayashi.co.jp/english/
Kawada Industries, Inc. http://global.kawada.jp/
Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. http://www.daiwahouse.co.jp/English/
Topy Industry Limited http://www.topy.co.jp/english/dept/bdp/
Hitachi Industry & Control Solutions. Ltd. http://www.hitachi-ics.co.jp/eng/
Mitsubishi Electric Tokki Systems Corporation http://www.melos.co.jp/products/robot.html
Meiko Industrial Co., Ltd. http://www.meikos.co.jp/robo.html

Key players in the Floor Cleaning Robots business sector are:

Company Website
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. https://www.fhi.co.jp/english/
Toshiba Lifestyle Products & Services Corporation http://www.toshiba.co.jp/tha/index_j.htm
Sharp Corporation http://www.sharp.co.jp/cocorobo/
CCP Co.,Ltd http://www.ccp-jp.com/life/laqulito/
Three Up Corporation http://www.three-up.co.jp/
Tsukamoto Aim Co., Ltd. http://www.tsukamoto-aim.co.jp/english/
Nitori Co., Ltd. http://www.nitori.co.jp/en/
Cyberdyne Inc. http://www.cyberdyne.jp/

Key players in the Communications / Entertainment Robots business sector are:

Company Website
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. http://world.honda.com/
tmsuk Co., Ltd. http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/english/robots.html
Sega Toys Co., Ltd http://www.segatoys.co.jp/

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NEC Corporation http://www.nec.com/

Vstone Co., Ltd. http://www.vstone.co.jp/english/
Okamura Corporation http://www.okamura.jp/
Ory Laboratory http://orylab.com/
Intelligent System Co., Ltd. http://intelligent-system.jp/
Pip Co., Ltd. http://www.pip-club.com/english/
Fuji Soft Incorporated http://www.fsi.co.jp/e/
Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. http://www.daiwahouse.co.jp/English/

Key players in the Reception / Guidance Robots business sector are:

Company Website
Kokoro Company Ltd. http://www.kokoro-dreams.co.jp/english/
Tmsuk Co., Ltd. http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/english/robots.html
BL Autotec, Ltd. http://www.bl-autotec.co.jp/english/
Toyota Motor Corporation http://www.toyota-global.com/
Hitachi, Ltd. http://www.hitachi.com/
Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. http://jp.fujitsu.com/group/labs/en/
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. http://www.mhi-global.com/
Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/

Key players in the Education business sector are:

Company Website
ZMP Inc. http://www.zmp.co.jp/?lang=en
Lego Group (from Denmark) http://www.lego.com/ja-jp

Key players in the Mobility and Power Assistant / Amplification Suit business sector are:

Company Website
Cyberdyne Inc. http://www.cyberdyne.jp/
Toyota Motor Corporation http://www.toyota-global.com/
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. http://world.honda.com/
Segway Japan, Ltd. (from USA) http://www.segway-japan.net/
Activelink Co., Ltd. http://activelink.co.jp/en

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Key players in the Nursing Care business sector are:

Company Website
Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd. http://www.daiwahouse.co.jp/English/
Secom Co., Ltd. http://www.secom.co.jp/english/
Unicharm Humancare Corporation http://www.humany.jp/
Toyota Motor Corporation http://www.toyota-global.com/

Key players in the Lawn Mowing Robots business sector are:

Company Website
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. http://world.honda.com/power/lawnmower/
Kyodo Co.,Ltd. http://kyodo-robot.com/lawnbot/
Mamiya-OP Co.,Ltd. http://www.mamiya-op.co.jp/i-gins/

Key players in the Humanoid Robot business sector are:

Company Website
Vstone Co., Ltd. http://www.vstone.co.jp/english/
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd http://www.khi.co.jp/english/
Kawada Industries, Inc. http://global.kawada.jp/
Tmsuk Co., Ltd. http://www.tmsuk.co.jp/english/robots.html
Toyota Motor Corporation http://www.toyota-global.com/
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. http://world.honda.com/
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. http://www.mhi-global.com/
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. http://www.murata.com/
Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/

2.3.3. Trend and Opportunity

The service robots industry is expected to expand at a rate of 20 to 25% per year over the next 10 years,
an incredible growth story. As outlined in the previous sections, medical and nursing care sectors are
expected to grow the fastest out of necessity, given Japan’s greying population and shortage of caregivers.

With the introduction of nanotechnologies the manufacturers are able to drastically miniaturize the robots,
making them suitable for home applications. Especially adding the “emotion” factor to humanoid robots
makes them far more versatile and opens up new possibilities around education for toddlers, children and
adults.

Similar to Aldebaran from France delivering the know-how for Pepper, also other European companies can
play a key role in this area, e.g. in the field of language training, a 500+ billion JPY (3.7 billion EUR) market!

Another exciting outcome of the miniaturization driven by nanotechnology is the development of

microscopic robots that can be injected into the human body. Experiments, also in Europe, are already
under way to use externally generated magnetic fields to guide these minuscule devices in the human

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body. The researchers expect that one day in the not too distant future we will be able to
put a mechanical surgeon inside a blood vessel and send it out into the heart for a
medical examination and even small-scale surgery.

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2.4. RoboTech -Components for the Robot Industry
2.4.1. Scope
Commonly called “RoboTech”, it is the field of high-precision servomotors, cables, many different types of
sensors and other components or products used to build and maintain robots.

A robot includes several main parts such as the controller, arms, end effectors, motors and sensors.
The controller is the "brain" of the robot arm and allows the parts of the robot to operate together. It can
also allow the robot to be connected to other systems.
Robot arms can vary in size and shape. It is the part that positions the end effector. With the robot arm, the
shoulder, elbow, and wrist move and twist to position the end effector in the right position.
The end effector connects to the robot's arm and functions as a hand. This part will usually come in direct
contact with the material the robot is manipulating. Some examples of such effectors are welding torches,
magnets, and grippers, but also e.g. a vacuum pump. Some robots have an Automatic Tool Changer,
allowing them to change end effectors and thus can be used for different sets of tasks.
The engine or motor of a robot moves the links into their designated positions. The links are the sections
between the joints. Industrial robot arms generally use hydraulic, electric, or pneumatic motors.
Sensors allow the robot to receive feedback about its environment. They can give the robot a certain sense
of sight, sound, temperature, and (gyro) direction.

The sub-sectors covered in this section are:

 FA Cables
 Servo Motors
 Close Control Reduction Gear
 Sensors
 Robot Vision Systems
 Automatic Tool Changers

Murata Cheerleaders to showcase the latest sensor

technology

At the latest CEATEC trade fair, Murata showcased the “Murata

Cheerleaders”, a group of cheerleader robots performing
synchronized dancing while they balance on the top of steel
balls. Murata has become a major player in the field of robot
components and with this performance they were able to
showcase the unique combination of gyro-sensors which help
the robots achieve balance control, infrared LED sensors to pick
up the light signals and ultrasonic sensors to pick up the sound
signals. Through these sensors the robots could communicate
with the beacons, equipped with infrared LED modules and Figure 24 Murata Cheerleaders - The world's
ultrasonic transmitters, on either side of their dance stage. Each first robot cheerleaders
14-inch robot also featured a built-in wireless system to

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communicate with the computer, which tracks and controls the group. The computer
directed the robots’ movements and helped avoid collisions. A unique combination of
high-tech and a cool performance3.

Factory Automation Cables

For industrial robotics and Factory Automation tools, cables with

high flexibility and reliability for bending and twisting in the moving
parts are required. Various companies offer cables with high
bending resistance, oil resistance, heat resistance, cold resistance
and/or noise resistance to make them suitable for use in factory
robot cabling. A number of them, like e.g. Kuramo, have become
key players on a global scale in this field.

Figure 25 The EXT-Type II robot cable

from Taiyo Cabletec is recognized as a
standard by the Japanese factory
automation industry
Visions Systems

In the past decade, vision technology has become a critical component for
many robot applications. It allows manufacturers to deploy robots into new
fields. Over the years the technology has matured becoming very reliable,
with higher accuracy and performance. Due also to significant price drops
vision has become accepted and embraced by many companies who see
the value it brings to their operations. While giving robots "eyes" will not
make them self-aware, in combination with the right software it does allow
them to perform advanced operations.

The endless possibilities include e.g. locating parts and locations to be

picked up or dropped off, determining where to apply a weld, inspecting Figure 26 Sharp IV-S200 series
objects such as products that have been assembled and so on. image sensor cameras allows
visual verification at high speeds

Servo Motors

Servos are Direct Current (DC) motors with built in gearing and feedback
control loop circuitry. Servomotors can rotate 90 to 180 degrees but
some are able to rotate through a full 360 degrees or more. Their
precision positioning makes them ideal for robot arms and legs, rack and
pinion steering, and sensor scanners, amongst others. Since servos are
fully self-contained, the velocity and angle control loops are very easy to
implement. The position/velocity of a servo can be controlled by simply
connecting it to a power source and signal generator (e.g. through a
microcontroller), and then varying the square wave pulse width.

Figure 27 The Fanuc ai series offers high speed, high

precision and high efficiency nano control servo motors

3 Source: http://www.murata.co.jp/en/cheerleaders/

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Automatic Tool Changers

Used specifically in manufacturing environments, automatic tool changers enable robots to easily adapt to
the work at hand with a wide range of tools such as e.g. milling machines, vertical and horizontal machining
centres, integrated lathes, transfer machines, amongst others. These high-precision tool changers can
drastically reduce the setup time and thus enhances the productivity of automated product lines. Automatic
tool changers typically operate by hydraulic, electric, or pneumatic force. Depending on the manufacturing
environment Tool Changers have to be equipped with safety features to avoid unexpected accidents. E.g.
even without pneumatic pressure, a self-locking feature can prevent falling of the tools4.

Figure 28 High-precision Robotic Hand Changers enables multiple functions and reduced setup
time1

Market Size Trends and Projections

Based on research by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and
the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) we note that together with the expansion of the
Robotics industry as a whole, the RoboTech sub-sector is estimated to be worth 177 billion JPY (1.23
billion EUR) in 2015. By 2020 the market is expected to triple in size to around 450 billion JPY. Also for the
2025-2035 period the market is expected to grow at a very strong pace.

4 Source: http://www.kosmek.co.jp/english/products/robot/

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Figure 29 Market size projections for the RoboTech sub-sector

2.4.2. Key Players

Key players in the FA Cable business sector are:

Company Website
Okano Cable Co., Ltd. http://www.okano-cable.co.jp/
Onamba Co., Ltd. http://www.onamba.co.jp/?page_id=1929
Oki Electric Cable Co., Ltd. http://www.okidensen.co.jp/en/
Kaneko Cord Co., Ltd. http://www.kaneko-cord.com/
Kuramo Electric Co., Ltd. http://www.kuramo.co.jp/index_e.html
Junkosha Inc. http://www.junkosha.co.jp/english/
Dyden Corporation http://www.dyden.co.jp/
Taiyo Cable Corporation http://www.taiyocable.com
Tachii Electric Wire Co., Ltd. http://tachii.co.jp/

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Tatsuta Electric Wire & Cable Co., Ltd. http://www.tatsuta.co.jp/en/

Nichigoh Communication Electric Wire Co., Ltd. http://www.nichigoh.co.jp/
Nissei Electric Co., Ltd. http://www.nissei-el.co.jp/english/
Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. https://www.furukawa.co.jp/english/
Yoshinogawa Electric Wire & Cable Co., Ltd. http://www.yoshinogawa.co.jp/index1.html

Key players in the Servo Motor business sector are:

Company Website
Omron Corporation http://www.omron.com/
Sanyo Denki Co., Ltd. http://www.sanyodenki.com/
Sinfonia Technology Co., Ltd. http://www.sinfo-t.com/
Tamagawa Seiki Co., Ltd. http://www.tamagawa-seiki.co.jp/jpn/japan/
Nidec Sankyo Corporation http://www.nidec-sankyo.co.jp/english/
Panasonic Corporation http://panasonic.net/
Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. http://www.hitachi-ies.co.jp/english/
Fanuc Corporation http://www.fanuc.co.jp/eindex.htm
Fuji Electric Co., Ltd. http://www.fujielectric.com/
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/worldwide/
Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/

Key players in the Close Control Reduction Gear business sector are:

Company Website
Kamo Seiko Corporation https://www.kamo.co.jp/en/
Sakanishi Seiki Co., Ltd. http://www.sakanishi.co.jp/en/
Sankyo Seisakusho Co. http://www.sankyo-seisakusho.co.jp/english/
Citizen Chiba Precision Co., Ltd. http://ccj.citizen.co.jp/english/
Simitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. http://www.shi.co.jp/english/
Tsubaki E&M Co. http://tsubakimoto.com/tem/
Nabtesco Corporation http://www.nabtesco.com/company/
Nissei Corporation http://www1.nissei-gtr.co.jp/english/
Nidec-Shimpo Corporation http://www.nidec-shimpo.co.jp/en/
Harmonic Drive Systems Inc. https://www.hds.co.jp/english/
Fuji Hensokuki Co., Ltd. http://www.fujihensokuki.co.jp/english/
Matex Corporation http://www.matex-glass.co.jp/

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Key players in the Sensor business sector are:

Company Website
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. http://www.murata.com/
Kyowa Electric Instruments Co., Ltd. http://www.kyowa-ei.com/eng/
Showa Measuring Instruments Co., Ltd. http://www.showa-sokki.co.jp/English/index_e.html
Nippon Liniax Co., Ltd. http://www.liniax.co.jp/
BL Autotec, Ltd. http://www.bl-autotec.co.jp/english/
Minebea Co., Ltd. https://www.minebea.co.jp/english/
Leptrino Co., Ltd. http://www.leptrino.co.jp/
Wacoh-Tech Inc. http://www.wacoh-tech.com/

Key players in the Robot Vision System business sector are:

Company Website
Avaldata Corporation http://www.avaldata.co.jp/english_08/
Optex FA http://www.optex-fa.com/
Omron Corporation http://www.omron.com/
Keyence Corporation http://www.keyence.com/
Canon IT Solutions Inc. http://www.canon-its.co.jp/
3D Media http://www.3dmedia.co.jp/
Sharp Manufacturing Systems Corporation http://sharp-world.com/sms/en/
Seiko Epson Corp. http://global.epson.com/
Panasonic Industrial Devices SUNX Co., Ltd. http://www2.panasonic.co.jp/id/pidsx/e/
Fanuc Corporation http://www.fanuc.co.jp/eindex.htm
Fast Corporation http://www.fast-corp.co.jp/eng/
Micro-Technica Co., Ltd. http://www.microtechnica.co.jp/
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/worldwide/
Yaskawa Electric Corporation http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/en/
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. http://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp/

Key players in the Auto Tool Changer business sector are:

Company Website
OBARA Corp. http://www.obara.co.jp/en/
Kosmek http://www.kosmek.co.jp/english/
Kondo Seisakusho "Konsei" http://www.konsei.co.jp/aboutus.html
Nitta Corporation http://www.nitta.co.jp/en/
Pascal Corporation http://www.pascaleng.co.jp/english/
BL Autotec, Ltd. http://www.bl-autotec.co.jp/english/
Fuji Industries Co., Ltd. http://www.ficjp.com/en/

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2.4.3. Trend and Opportunity
The RoboTech sector is expected to grow by around 20% per year over the next 5 years
and also after that the market is projected to expand at a fast pace, a very bright prospective for companies
active in this field.

The shift towards nanotechnologies provides us with smaller and far more accurate sensors. Especially in
terms of vision technology, which is partly hardware and partly software driven, the technology is advancing
quickly.

The miniaturization of servo-motors and other components allows the construction of robots with more
elastic, visco-elastic and other types of joints, resulting into robots that can “walk” in a more natural way
through the additional degrees of flexibility.

As the service robot market opens up to consumer products there will be a strong need for lower cost
components. Companies that find the right balance between quality, durability and price for their products
will see a growing number of opportunities to expand their business, also in Japan.

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3. Market Standards, Laws and Regulations
3.1. Safety Requirements
As one could expect, the risks of operating robots should not be
underestimated and before new robots can be introduced into the
market they have to undergo strict testing. In regards to safety
requirements, the following standards need to be observed:

 ISO 102180-1:2011 - Robots and robotic devices -- Safety

requirements for industrial robots
 ISO 13482:2014 - Robots and robotic devices -- Safety Figure 30 ISO 13482 Verification Mark

requirements for personal care robots.

 ISO 13849-1:2006 - Safety of machinery -- Safety-related parts of control systems

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has issued ISO 13482, a global safety standard for
service robots in Feb 2014. These standards for service robots were proposed by the Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry (METI) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization
(NEDO). METI and NEDO jointly launched the Project for Practical Application of Service Robots to study
safety of service robots in 2009. Their proposal has been adopted by the ISO. ISO 13482 is designed for
four types of robots including "Mobile servant robots with manipulator", "Mobile servant robots without
manipulator", "Person carrier robots" and "Physical assistant robots (including rehabilitation). 5

3.1.1. Centre for Service Robot Safety Verification

The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and Japan Automotive
Research Institute have been working on safety test for assistive robot at the " Centre for Service Robot
Safety Verification". To acquire ISO 13482 certification, manufacturers are required to conduct safely
verification tests for their manufactured robots at a certified site such as the Centre for Service Robot
Safety Verification in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture.

3.1.2. ISO 13849-1:2006

ISO 13849-1:2006 provides safety requirements and guidance on the principles for the design and
integration of safety-related parts of control systems (SRP/CS), including the design of software. For these
parts of SRP/CS, it specifies characteristics that include the performance level required for carrying out
safety functions. It applies to SRP/CS, regardless of the type of technology and energy used (electrical,
hydraulic, pneumatic, mechanical, etc.), for all kinds of machinery. It does not specify the safety functions
or performance levels that are to be used in a particular case6.

Reference information:

 "Global Safety Standard ISO 13482 was Issued for Service Robots"
http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2014/0205_01.html

5 Source: http://www.jqa.jp/service_list/fs/topics/topics_fs_04.html
6 Source: http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=34931

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 "Japanese Service Robots were certified under Global Safety Standard
ISO13482 for the first time in the world."
http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2014/0217_03.html

3.1.3. Easing of the 80W regulation

One of the key factors that are contributing to the advancement of the relationship between humans and
industrial robots is the easing of the so-called 80W regulation, implemented in December 2013.
The regulation previously specified that only robots with a maximum output power of “80W or less” can be
used together without being separated by a fence.

However, since the regulation change higher-power robots, with a motor output power greater than 80W,
can also be operated without installing a fence provided certain conditions are met. This allows the robot to
share work with humans in close proximity, such as assembly lines amongst others.

3.2. Regulatory Organisations

3.2.1. METI & NEDO
To establish the global standard for service robot safety, ISO 13482, METI and NEDO worked together on
the Project for Practical Application of Service Robots from 2009 to Feb 2014. They have been conducting
their research and development of the methodology for safety verification test, by acquiring, accumulating
and analysing the relevant data. In particularly for the following four types of robots:

 Mobile servant robots with manipulator

 Mobile servant robots without manipulator
 Person carrier robots
 Physical assistant robots (including rehabilitation)

Reference information:

 METI: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry => http://www.meti.go.jp/english/

 NEDO: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization =>
http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/

3.2.2. NEDO, AIST, JARI

NEDO, AIST and JARI established the “Center for Service Robot Safety Verification” in Tsukuba city,
Ibaraki prefecture in 2010. Since the centre was established for the Project for Practical Application of
Service Robots, they have been accumulating huge amount of data and facilities to examine safety of all
the functionalities of manufactured service robots. The centre provides the one-stop-service for safety test.

Reference information:

 NEDO: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization =>

http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/
 AIST: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology =>
http://www.aist.go.jp/index_en.html
 JARI: Japan Automobile Research Institute => http://www.jari.or.jp/
 METI, MHLW, NEDO, ATA

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Four organisations METI, MHLW, NEDO and ATA concluded a partnership on
developing nursing-care equipment / robots. METI and MHLW designed “Priority are in
nursing use of robot technology” based on the basic strategy for revitalization of Japan. NEDO became the
secretarial and partnered with METI, MHLW and ATA to facilitate exchanging opinions between developers
of nursing care robots and their users, as well as give supports with business matching for
commercialization of nursing care robots.

Reference information:

 METI: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry => http://www.meti.go.jp/english/

 MHLW: Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare => http://www.mhlw.go.jp/english/
 NEDO: New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization =>
http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/
 ATA: The Association for Technical Aids => http://www.techno-aids.or.jp/

3.3. Government Initiatives

3.3.1. Robot Revolution Realization Council
In June 2014, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he wanted to boost the market for robots in Japan,
aiming at a total market value of US $22 billion by 2020. In October 2014, the government launched a
“Robot Revolution Realization Council” to craft a five-year blueprint to beef up the industry.

Japan has by far the world’s largest population of at-work robots however that prominence is threatened
from recent growth, driven by coordinated efforts, in the US, Germany, South Korea and China. Prime
Minister Abe has indicated that he wants to make robots a key pillar of his growth strategy to make Japan
competitive again.

Deregulation and strategic funding are at the heart of Japan’s and Abe’s 5-year growth plan and their New
Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

3.3.2. Robot City - Kitakyushu

Kitakyushu has a concentration of world-class industrial robot manufacturers, small/medium companies
that have elemental technologies applicable to the
robotics industries, national level innovative robot venture
companies, and universities/research institutions that are
engaged in work related to robot technologies.

In 2003, the government awarded certification to

Kitakyushu as “special zone for robotics
development/development experiments” through
innovative activities such as the development of tests
using walking robots on public roads. (The special zone
has been developed on national level since January
2006.)

In 2006, the Kitakyushu Robot Forum was established as

a network body comprising industries; universities and Figure 31 Source: http://www.kk-j.org/outline.html

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governments to further promote the robot industry7.

4. Trade Fairs and Related Organizations

4.1. Major Robotics Related Trade Fairs

International Robot Exhibition 2015 (Dec 2-5 2015, Tokyo)

Exhibition of industrial and service robots, and other related devices from Japan and abroad. The
organizers are Japan Robot Association and Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd. The exhibition is held every two
years.

Website: http://www.nikkan.co.jp/eve/irex/english/

Japan Robot Week 2016 (Autumn in 2016, Tokyo)

Exhibition focused on service robots including nursing, life support and disaster response. The event is
organized every two years, on alternate year with 'iREX', by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun.

Website: http://www.nikkan.co.jp/eve/s-robot/eng/

Nano Micro Biz / ROBOTECH 2015(April 22 - .24 on 2015, Yokohama)

Exhibition of all types of devices and technologies to produce service robots and products that have
advanced functionalities and competitiveness. It is annual event organized by Mesago Messe Frankfurt.

Website: http://www.micromachine.jp/en/

Medical Japan 2015 (Feb 4 - 6 in 2015, Osaka)

Exhibition of medical devices and technologies. It is an annual event and organized by Reed Exhibition
Japan.

Website: http://www.medix-kansai.jp/

Shinkachi Souzouten 2014 (Nov.19 - 21 in 2014, Tokyo)

Small and medium size businesses participates this exhibition to share their vision for new value creation in
wellness, green and smart technologies. It is an annual event organized by SME Support Japan.

Website: http://shinkachi.smrj.go.jp/

7 Source: http://www.kk-j.org/robot.html

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JASIS 2015 (Sep 2 - 4 in 2015, Chiba)

In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Analytical Instruments Exhibition (JAIMA EXPO
organized by JAIMA) and the 35th Anniversary of the Scientific Instruments Show (SIS organized by JSIA),
the two shows were unified in 2012 under the new moniker "JASIS (Japan Analytical & Scientific
Instruments Show)" It is an annual event. The organizers are Japan Analytical Instruments Manufacturers'
Association (JAIMA) and Japan Scientific Instruments Association (JSIA).

Website: http://www.jasis.jp/en/

Innovation Japan 2014 (Sep.11- 12 in 2014, Tokyo)

The event is a trade show of technologies and innovations produced by universities as well as business
matching with companies that looking for new opportunities or business partner. It is still unclear whether a
follow up event will be organised in 2015.

Website: http://www.ij2014.com/

HOSPEX Japan 2015 (Nov. 25 - 27 in 2015, Tokyo)

HOSPEX Japan is one of nation's largest and most comprehensive exhibition of facilities and equipment for
the medical and welfare institutes. It is held annually in conjunction with the Conference of Healthcare
Engineering Association of Japan. Organizers are Healthcare Engineering Association of Japan and Japan
Management Association.

Website: http://www.jma.or.jp/hospex/en/

Smart Community Japan 2015 (June 17 - 19 in 2015)

Exhibition is focused on energy, auto mobile and new technology. The concept is changed every year and
the concept for 2014 was 'smart community'. It is an annual event organized by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun.

Website: http://www.nikkan.co.jp/eve/smart/english/

Automotive engineering Exhibition 2015 (May 20 - 22 in 2014, Yokohama)

Exhibition and workshops of automotive technology for engineers and researchers.

It is annual event and organized by Society of Automotive Engineering of Japan, Inc.

Website: http://expo.jsae.or.jp/english/

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The International Modern Hospital Show 2015 (Jul 15 - 17 in 2015, Tokyo)

An exhibition of medical equipment and technologies. It is an annual event organized by Japan Hospital
Association and Nippon Omni-Management Association.

Website: http://www.noma.or.jp/hs/eng/2014/news/

4.2. Robotics Related Events

Robosquare

Robosquare was established in 2002, with purposes of increasing familiarity with robots, providing
educational facilities to learn robots and produce robots.

Website: http://robosquare.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/english/

Rescue Robot Contest

The Rescue Robot Contest is an annual contest for rescue robot technology. It is organised by the
International Rescue System. The next edition is scheduled for August 8-9 2015 and will be held in the city
of Kobe.

Website: http://www.rescue-robot-contest.org/

The Robotics and Mechatronics Conference 2015, ROBOMECH 2015

Organized by The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers will be held in Kyoto on May 17-19 2015.

Website: http://www.jsme.or.jp/rmd/robomech2015/

4.3. Robotics Related Organizations

The Japan Machinery Federation

Website: http://www.jmf.or.jp/english/e_index.html

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)

Website: http://www.meti.go.jp/english/policy/mono_info_service/robot_industry/

New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization（NEDO）

Website: http://www.nedo.go.jp/english/

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology （AIST）

Website: http://www.aist.go.jp/index_en.html

Kansai Economic Federation (Kankeiren)

Website: http://www.kankeiren.or.jp/English/
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Japan Robot Association

Website: http://www.jara.jp/e/

The Robotics Society of Japan

Website: http://www.rsj.or.jp/en

Japan Science and Technology Agency

Website: http://www.jst.go.jp/EN/index.html

Roboness (Robot Business Promotion Council)

Website: http://www.roboness.jp/

Information and Robot Technology Research Initiative (IRT), The University of Tokyo
Website: http://www.irt.i.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/

Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR)

(http://www.atr.jp/about/about_images/ayumi_e.jpg)
Website: http://www.atr.jp/

Japan Analytical Instruments Manufacturers' Association

Website: http://www.jaima.or.jp/en/

Nanotechnology Business Creation Initiative (NBCI)

Website: http://www.nbci.jp/en/

Micromachine center
Website: http://www.mmc.or.jp/e/

Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ)

Website: http://www.seaj.or.jp/english/

Robot Business Conference in Kawasaki and Kanagawa

Website: http://www.robot-net.jp/

KitaKyushu Robot Forum

Website: http://robotics.ksrp.or.jp/robotforum/

Robotics Industry Development Council, Kitakyushu

Website: http://www.f-robot.com/about/

iRooBo Network Forum

Website: http://iroobo.jp/

Robonable - Portalsites for Robotics news, run by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun

Website: http://www.robonable.jp/

RIKEN-TRI Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research (RTC)

Website: http://rtc.nagoya.riken.jp/

The Japan Smart Community Alliance (JSCA)

Website: https://www.smart-japan.org/english/

The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers

Website: http://www.jsme.or.jp/

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5. Bibliographical References
General info on the robotics market

 "Shuwasystem Industry Trend Guide Book 2011", Shuwa System.

 "2013 World Wide Robot Market Trend and Future 2013", Fuji Keizai.
 "Market Trend for Service Robot Business 2011', Seed Planning.
 "User study and market trend for Cleaning Robot 2013", Seed Planning.
 http://www.wtec.org/robotics/report/05-Industrial.pdf
 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/tag/robot/
 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/20/national/hitachi-develops-robots-to-probe-fukushima-no-
1-plant/
 http://www.fanuc.co.jp/en/product/servo/
 http://newsdesk.org/2010/09/09/robots-seen-as-solution-to-japans-aging-shrinking-population/
 http://en.akihabaranews.com/127162/robot/dear-assistive-robot-industry-we-need-you-sincerely-rapidly-
aging-japan
 “Robot industry market trends” report by METI,
http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-2.pdf
 “Robot industry market trends” report by METI,
http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-3.pdf
 http://robohub.org/micro-robotics-and-medicine-interview-with-toshio-fukuda/
 https://gbmcbiz.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/waseda-presentation-robotics-workshop.pdf
 http://singularityhub.com/2014/05/04/toyotas-replacing-robots-with-humans-so-they-can-make-even-
better-robots/
 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-06/humans-replacing-robots-herald-toyota-s-vision-of-
future.html
 http://io9.com/japanese-robots-in-danger-of-being-replaced-by-human-wo-1561280442
 http://www.worldrobotics.org/uploads/media/Executive_Summary_WR_2014.pdf
 http://sparc-robotics.eu/robotics-in-europe/

Industrial Robots

 http://wardsauto.com/plants-amp-production/auto-industry-leading-market-japanese-robotics
 http://www.hirata.co.jp/en/products/view/156
 http://www.hitachi.com/New/cnews/130312.html
 http://www.cnet.com/news/hitachis-ropits-mobility-robot-drives-itself/
 http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2013/mar/27/driverless-robot-car-
elderly-disabled-mobility
 http://www.robotics.org/content-detail.cfm/Industrial-Robotics-Industry-Insights/Robotic-Assembly-
Shrinking-Footprint-Expanding-Market/content_id/4981
 http://www.ype.co.jp/en/world/activity_a.html
 http://www.okurayusoki.co.jp/eng/products/plant/palletizing/index.html
 http://www.flexicell.com/palletizing/
 http://robot.fanucamerica.com/products/robots/palletizing-robots.aspx
 http://www.khi.co.jp/english/robot/product/files/web-robot/upload_pdf/catalog_e_palletizing.pdf
 “Robot industry market trends” report by METI,
http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-2.pdf

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 “Robot industry market trends” report by METI,
http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-3.pdf
 http://singularityhub.com/2014/05/04/toyotas-replacing-robots-with-humans-so-they-can-make-even-
better-robots/
 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-06/humans-replacing-robots-herald-toyota-s-vision-of-
future.html

Service Robots

 http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=8021480
 http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/cdb0dbe8-292b-11e4-8b81-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3NzyBAwhv
 http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1122/paper3.pdf
 http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-23196867
 https://www.aldebaran.com/en/medias/pepper-video
 http://nuviun.com/content/news/digital-health-in-japan-medical-and-personal-care-robots-for-a-rapidly-
aging-society
 http://www.melos.co.jp/products/crawler.html
 http://crasar.org/category/rescue-robots/
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rescue_robot
 http://www.robotee.com/index.php/omni-crawler-tracked-robot-drives-in-all-directions/
 http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-03/six-robots-could-shape-future-earthquake-search-
and-rescue
 “Robot industry market trends” report by METI,
http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-2.pdf
 “Robot industry market trends” report by METI,
http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-3.pdf

RoboTech

 http://www.murata.co.jp/en/cheerleaders/
 http://www.forbes.com/sites/saritharai/2014/10/09/cheerleader-robots-put-spotlight-on-japanese-
component-maker-murata/
 http://www.gizmag.com/murata-keepace-walker/24236/
 http://www.okidensen.co.jp/en/prod/cable/robot/
 http://www.kosmek.co.jp/english/products/robot/
 http://www.robots.com/faq/show/what-are-the-main-parts-of-an-industrial-robot
 http://www.obara.co.jp/en/product/spot/changer.html
 “Robot industry market trends” report by METI,
http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-2.pdf
 “Robot industry market trends” report by METI,
http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2013/07/20130718002/20130718002-3.pdf

Market Standards, Laws and Regulations & Government initiatives

 http://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2014/0217_03.html
 http://www.industryweek.com/robotics/japans-robot-suit-gets-global-safety-certificate
 http://www.industryweek.com/robotics/cyberdyne-showcases-thought-controlled-robotic-suits
 http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e98a5d08-4ae1-11e4-839a-00144feab7de.html#axzz3Mm2ZMq4F

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 http://www.automationmag.com/opinion/machine-safety/integration-challenges-with-
the-new-robot-safety-standard.html
 http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=34931
 http://im.ft-static.com/content/images/7660611a-4e97-11e4-adfe-00144feab7de.img
 http://japan.kantei.go.jp/96_abe/actions/201409/11article4.html
 http://www.idgconnect.com/abstract/9098/will-robotics-transform-japan
 http://robohub.org/japans-new-robotics-push-funding-and-deregulation/

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