Inside the Robot Kingdom: Japan, Mechatronics, and the Coming Robotopia by Frederik L. Schodt (review)

Apostbiologicalworlddominated by self-improving, thinking machines wouldbe asdifferent from our own worldof livingthings as thisworldis differentfrom the lifelesschemistrythat preceded it.A population consistingof unfettered mind children isquite unimaginable .Weare going to tryto imagine some of the consequences anyway. Mind Children is a powerful and perceptive projection of the future. Much of its force derives from its solid foundation in the best science and art of today. For anyone interested in robotics, artificial intelligence or artificial realities of all kinds, Mind Children is a must-read. INSIDE THE ROBOT KINGDOM: JAPAN, MECHATRONICS, AND THE COMING ROBOTOPIA by Frederik L. Schodt. Kordansha International Press, Tokyo,Japan, 1988. 256 pp., illus. ISBN: 0-87011-918-4. Reviewed Uy Stephen Wilson, Art Department , San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94132, U.S.A. Robotics may well be one of the most important areas of artistic research in the future. In some ways the field is continuous with long-standing art concerns with mimesis, the figure, sculpture , and dramatics. Rapid advances are being made in robotics research. To play an important role in future investigations , artists must inform themselves as deeply as possible about this research in all its technological, cultural and psychological aspects. Japan is working hard to become a world leader in robotics. In fact, some analysts have begun to call it the 'Robot Kingdom'. According to some statistics, there are more robots per capita in Japan than anywhere else in the world. In Inside theRobot Kingdom, Frederik Schodt does a remarkable job of examining the myths and realities ofJapan's relationship to robotics from many different angles. The book contains chapters on farranging topics: basic concepts of robotics (including international differences regarding what gets defined as a robot);Japanese cultural history that bears on robotics (including early experiments with automata , attitudes toward the industrial revolution, and contemporary popular cultural beliefs as manifested in toys, films and popular heroes); the history of the implementation of industrial robotics; and the relationship of robotics to deeper aspects ofJapanese culture such as religion. There are many black-and-white illustrations -for example, illustrations of early automata such as the 'tea-carrying doll', pictures of exotic toys such as the trapeze swinging robot, excerpts from popular robot hero films and industrial experiments. Leonardo readers will value Schodt's interdisciplinary approach. While the book is rich in technological and economic analysis of the robot phenomenon, it also includes many thought-provoking reflections on the relationship of culture to technology and many unusual observations of relevant facts aboutJapanese life and history. The author notes that, in missing some of the ugliest parts of the early industrial revolution, Japan may not have some of the fears of technology that plague the West. Also, manyJapanese religions incorporate a non-dualistic approach and animism (a view that sees spirit in all things, notjust humans), which allow the imagination to dwell on entities in the gray area between animal and machine such as robots. In popular culture, robots most often battle against evil rather than going haywire and killing humans. From earliest ages,Japanese children are encouraged to be curious about robotics; children are allowed intoJapanese trade shows, while they are forbidden in the West. Japanese workers take great pride in moving toward the 'unmanned' factory rather than resisting the introduction to robotics. The author also considers some negative issues involvingJapan's relationship to robotics that are not considered in the popular press of the West. Many analysts explain the Japanese worker's lack of resistance to robotics by the lifetime employment guarantees ofJapanese companies . The author points out that displaced workers are sometimes shifted to less desirable jobs in coordinate companies and that there is significant unreported stress and dislocation . Also, the much-touted research support structure for technological research is not as perfect as it is portrayed to be. In Japan's hierarchical system young researchers must often defer to older professors and those with higher status, with the result that idiosyncratic breakthrough ideas are squelched. Japan has a fascinating culture that will become increasingly important as technology enters more corners of everyday life. Inside theRobotKingdom is an intriguing window through which to consider how culture and technology interact. TOOLS...