Kawasaki Opens Tokyo Robot Center Showroom, “Kawasaki Robostage”

Tokyo, August 5, 2016 - Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today its opening of the Tokyo Robot Center Showroom, a new facility to offer robotics related information to industry and the general public to deepen the understanding of robots and their place in society, currently and in the future.

 

The facility will begin operations in Odaiba Tokyo on August 6. The newly opened "Kawasaki Robostage" is designed to connect human creativity with Kawasaki's advanced technologies while providing opportunities for visitors to gain insight into the current and envisioned future relationship between humans and robots, which will revolve around harmony and beneficial coexistence. In keeping with the facility's main theme of "human-robot coexistence and collaboration", Kawasaki will demonstrate new forms of applications where robots work with and alongside humans.

 

Kawasaki has already established other robotic demonstration facilities at its sales and service centers in Japan and around the world, and in October 2014, the company opened one of the largest robot showrooms in Japan at its Nishi-Kobe Works facility in Hyogo Prefecture.  Facilities like these enable Kawasaki to demonstrate and propose automation solutions to companies considering the integration of robots into their work operations.  This latest showroom in Tokyo, on the other hand, targets both companies considering robotic automation as well as the general public, aiming to serve as place where anyone can come to see, experience and take in the marvels of robots while deepening their understanding of robotics.

 

By establishing a base in Tokyo, which is attracting increased attention with the approach of the Tokyo Olympic games in 2020, Kawasaki strives to enhance the company's brand value by showcasing the current and future world in which humans and robots coexist and collaborate. The new facility will also serve as a communication center and promote more robust collaboration with government agencies, research institutions, universities, and graduate schools. With technologies that enable networking between the Internet and physical things - known as the Internet of Things (IoT) - expected to have a major impact on the ways in which robots are used, Kawasaki plans to make the facility capable of IoT research and testing.

"Japan's Robot Strategy", a government-led initiative, is expanding robot applications to a wide range of fields. By positioning this new showroom as a place to experience easy-to-use robots as well as a promotional robotics hub for the 2020 International Robotics Competition, Kawasaki is contributing toward the government's goal of robotics industry growth and the widespread introduction and integration of robots at small and medium-sized companies.