As a young boy, one of my favorite toys was Rock’ em, Sock’ em robots. I have been thinking a lot about robots lately and not just because I am growing nostalgic this holiday season as I desperately roam the packed shopping malls in search of this generation’s equivalent cool toy for my own kids. Rather, robots have been on my mind because I just returned from a trip to Tokyo and, of all my impressions of the country, I was most struck by the extraordinary progress Japanese companies are making in the field of robotics.
Last week, Sony unveiled a violin-playing robot and just yesterday Honda showed off two child-sized robots capable of serving tea.
In the two demonstrations I witnessed, the robots’ performance was far from perfect. Nevertheless, my opinion is that the wide-spread implementation of robots in Japan is only a few years away. The country’s rapidly aging population in combination with its relatively inflexible immigration policy suggests that a severe labor shortage is looming on the horizon. And since neither situation is likely to resolve itself soon, the impetuous to employ robots in a variety of fields—including helping the elderly perform daily functions or perhaps serving as an educational toy capable of assisting Japanese kids learn how to play a musical instrument—is certainly there.
I would encourage executives interested in the field of robotics to keep an eye on Japan’s progress. If they see companies such as iRobot make an aggressive push into the country or witness Microsoft, which has publicly stated that it is interested in supplying software to robot manufacturers, form alliances with Japanese leaders such as Sony, Honda, Hitachi, or Toyota in this regard, they will want to take notice.
For just as yesterday’s Rock’em, Sock’em robots look relatively simplistic in terms of today’s more sophisticated toys; tomorrow’s robots will make today’s versions look similarly outdated. But the exponential executive who understands this potential could position his or her company and organization in some unique and innovative ways. Who knows you might even be able to “knock the block off” of your competitor.
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Jack Uldrich still prefers the more innocent violence of his generation’s Rock’ em, Sock’ em robots to, say, this generation’s Grand Theft Auto. He is also a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. Jack is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
