Japan stands out for its long love affair with humanoid robots, a phenomenon that is creating what will likely be the world's first mass robot culture. While U.S. companies have produced robot vacuum cleaners and war machines, and U.S. filmmakers tell dark stories of robots out of control, Japan has created warm and fuzzy lifelike robot therapy pets. What can account for Japan's unique relationship with robots as potential colleagues in life, rather than as potential adversaries? This book looks at Japan's historical connections with robots, its present fascination and leading technologies, and what the future holds, from the perspectives of culture, psychology and history, as well as technology, and brings understanding to an endlessly evolving subject.--From publisher description.
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