In Japan, Recession, Layoffs Hit Droids
KITAKYUSHU, Japan -
They may be the most efficient workers in the world. But in the global downturn, they are having a tough time finding jobs.
Slide Show Japan’s Robots Face Hard Times
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Seven years after its introduction, the Aibo robot dog from Sony was discontinued. It was popular, but cost more than $2,000. More Photos »
Japan’s legions of robots, the world’s largest fleet of mechanized workers, are being idled as the country suffers its deepest recession in more than a generation as consumers worldwide cut spending on cars and gadgets.
At a large Yaskawa Electric factory on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, where robots once churned out more robots, a lone robotic worker with steely arms twisted and turned, testing its motors for the day new orders return. Its immobile co-workers stood silent in rows, many with arms frozen in midair.
They could be out of work for a long time. Japanese industrial production has plummeted almost 40 percent and with it, the demand for robots.
At the same time, the future is looking less bright. Tighter finances are injecting a dose of reality into some of Japan’s more fantastic projects - like pet robots and cyborg receptionists - that could cramp innovation long after the economy recovers...