Kanagawa Prefecture faces the growing problem of an aging population and the phenomenon is even more pronounced in this prefecture than in the rest of the country. With the threat of a massive earthquake in the near future, it is also aware of the need to guard against the consequences of natural disasters. To deal with problems human capital alone will not resolve, use of robots for personal assistance has appeared as one possible solution. The Prefecture has been working on the development of such robots and encouraged their widespread use. This initiative for revitalising the local economy, emphasising safety and livability for residents, was welcomed by the central government in February 2013, which awarded special economic zone status to ‘Sagami, City of Robots’.
In implementing this area-wide project, “Robot Town Sagami” (Japanese only) covers 12 municipalities located along the Sagami Expressway which opened in 2014, running through the centre of Kanagawa Prefecture (bordering the Tokyo Metropolis). This area has a large concentration of industries, research centres and university laboratories specialising in research and development of personal assistive robotics. It also has several hospitals and care centers for high dependency patients, constituting an indispensable framework to support the implementing of functionality tests for developing prototypes. Robots in this wide study fall into three categories: therapeutic robots, domestic help robots for the elderly, and disaster prevention or disaster assistance robots.
The action plan of Kanagawa Prefecture has three components:
1. A “Priority Project” concerns almost finished prototypes. It facilitates the realisation of functional tests and obtaining specialist advice to encourage the adoption of robots by the user groups for which they are intended.
2. “Kanagawa Open Innovation” encourages technological cooperation between SMEs in the wider prefecture, to partner and develop projects that meet identified needs.
3. Various “Practical Robot Demonstration Support Projects” initiatives were launched dedicated to developing robot projects, selected from a nationwide call for applications.
The implementation of this plan also involves consultations with the government on compliance with legislative and regulatory provisions, assisting companies in obtaining national subsidies and by economic development policies incentivising companies specialised in robotics to concentrate in the region.
Furthermore, many initiatives have been taken to familiarize people with robotics. In order to promote its image, the City of Robots chose the cherished character of Astro Boy, created by the founding father of modern manga Tezuka Osamu, as part of the branding for the project.
Model homes equipped with robots also give visitors the chance to experience life with the technology developed. Thus, instead of solely focusing on the technical applications of robotic science, efforts also aim to raise the profile of robots and better acclimatise people to these new companions in everyday life.
- Top picture: Kanagawa governor Yûji Kuroiwa tries out the first commercialised product of the special zone ‘power assist hand’
- Bottom picture: demonstration of automatic driving operation on the Sagami Expressway
This article was originally published in French by our colleagues in the CLAIR Paris office here.
