Japan's Robot Revolution Is Attracting Venture Capitalists
by Shigeru Sato and Monami Yui for Bloomberg Business: Venture capitalists who have long avoided investing in Japan may think again as startups in the country develop a new generation of robot technology, according to consultant Koichi Hori.While Japan has little chance of catching up to the U.S. in digital media, the next phase of technological innovation will be in robotics with artificial intelligence, said Hori, who headed Boston Consulting Group Inc.’s Japan office before founding Dream Incubator Inc. in 2000. That plays to Japan’s strengths in engineering, he said.
“Digital media will only be in the mainstream for about three years, or five years at most,” Hori, 70, said in an interview in Tokyo on May 27. “From that time on, robots and robotics will be the eye-catchy industries. Japan has a good chance, particularly in the area of hardware for robots.”
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pushing for a “robot revolution” to help reclaim the dominance of Japanese technology after companies such as Sony Corp. lost ground to Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. With venture investment less than 3 percent that of the U.S., Japan has struggled to replicate Silicon Valley’s success as a hub of innovation. Cont'd...
Comments (0)
This post does not have any comments. Be the first to leave a comment below.
Featured Product
Destaco's PNEUMATIC PARALLEL GRIPPERS - RTH & RDH
Destaco's Robohand RDH/RTH Series 2 and 3 jaw parallel grippers have a shielded design that deflects chips and other particulate for a more reliable, repeatable operation in part gripping applications ranging from the small and lightweight, to the large and heavy. RDH Series of Rugged, Multi-Purpose Parallel Grippers for Heavy Parts - Designed for high particulate application environments, automotive engine block, gantry systems, and ideal for heavy part gripping The series includes eight sizes for small lightweight to large/heavy part gripping. RTH Series of Powerful, Multi-Purpose Parallel Grippers for Heavy Parts - Designed for large round shaped parts, automotive engine block and gantry systems, and heavy part gripping. They're available in eight sizes for small lightweight to large and heavy part gripping.
