Robots to reflect on the essence and evolution of the human being

Maria Roldan Tokyo, 22 Mar From androids to virtual entities or mechanical exoskeletons, the largest robot exhibition held in Japan to date invites reflection on the evolution of man, its essence and the increasingly diffuse border between man and machine. The exhibition “You and Robots - What is it to be Human?” (You and the robots - What is being human?) , at the National Museum of Emerging Sciences and Innovation (Miraikan) in Tokyo, “not only does it seek to show many robots, but to reflect on the body, mind and life of human beings through robots,” says Yukie Sonoyama, from the center's science communication department, to Efe. The exhibition covers across three areas the origin and evolution of robots to this day, the meaning of what it means to be human and the sometimes diffuse border between man and machine, as well as the perspectives on the future shared between them. A total of 130 robots of 90 types are on display at the Miraikan until August 31. From more than 50 institutions and universities around the country, among them there are everything from iconic androids such as ASIMO or Pepper to zoomorphic devices such as the Aibo dog or the Paro stuffed seal, with more than 20 years of history. Around a third of the robots on display are interactive. They can be touched and talked to, as in the case of the affective robot Lovot or the conversational RoboHon, and there is also a part dedicated to the application of robotics in the medical, prosthetic or industrial sectors. Among the many curiosities of the show is a model of Posy, the robot that made its cinematic debut in Sofía Coppola's “Lost in Translation” (2003). Although his scene with the protagonist (Scarlett Johansson) was removed from the final editing, the images can be rescued today thanks to the internet. FUZZY BORDER Apart from androids or humanoid robots, perhaps the ones that attract the most attention due to their morphological resemblance, many robots were created to expand the potential of human activities. Industrial arms have made it possible to accelerate and increase production in factories, devices that allow increasing one's own strength to load pallets or people without injury are becoming more widespread, and mechanical prostheses and exoskeletons to supply limbs or bodies without mobility are becoming increasingly common. The exhibition also dedicates a space to these innovations and allows visitors to interact with some, such as the android OriHime, the avatar robot that has allowed people with paralysis and other problems to work as waiters. Among the most striking models on display is JINKI type Zero ver.1.2, an imposing 4-meter-high robot driven by a virtual reality device and whose development is aimed at tunnel excavation, among other functions. “Where does the robot end and the human begin? What is the human 'body'?” , poses the exhibition. “The boundary between the body and life itself is becoming blurred, the robot and the human being are coming together and this can change the very value of life,” says Sonoyama, who explains that among its objectives the exhibition encourages us to reflect on it and invite us to “imagine a future of coexistence with robots”. The term robot, he says, is increasingly ambiguous, “because there are more and more that are not corporeal, like artificial intelligences” or virtual entities or holograms, also present. EMOTIONAL COMFORT In a society like that of Japan, with rampant aging and high rates of loneliness, robots have been emerging for decades to fill affective deficiencies, such as Aibo, Paro and Lovot. This reality is also reflected in the exhibition, which in a more subtle way also addresses the flirtation of the potential use of technology to preserve life after death. It does this through holograms, personalities that return thanks to digital avatars or even through humanoid robots. Two full-scale androids by Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci and Japanese novelist Natsume Soseki have been moved to the exhibition, who have been generating excitement wherever they are exhibited for years. “You and Robots - What is it to be Human?” seeks to approach robots from everyday life, from a perspective far from the conception that is often reflected in film or animation, where there are many imposing mechanized beings that sometimes influence the very development of real robots. CHIEF mra-yk/ahg/cg (photo) (video)