![]() The shape of the robot is supposed to express the creative spirit of humanity.” Nishimura wanted to build something that went beyond the European concept of a robot. That’s why Gakutensoku was clearly not designed for work. He wanted to create something more human-like. For Nishimura, a robot wasn’t something that would take the place of human beings. “But it may be the model that comes the closest to Čapek’s original idea of a robot. “Gakutensoku stands a little apart from the mainstream development of robotics worldwide,” Hasegawa says. Research into industrial robots took off worldwide and by the 1980s a plethora of robots were being built to perform repetitive construction tasks-assembling parts, welding, and constructing components in a variety of industrial settings. In 1960, the first industrial robotic arms appeared in factories, and the word “robot” came into wider use to describe all kinds of machines that work on behalf of humans, rather than just androids. ![]() These stories were the source of Asimov’s famous “Three Laws of Robotics.” In 1950, the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov released a collection of short stories under the title I, Robot. The word originally described an artificial human that takes on the burden of human labor. The first person to use the term “robot” was the Czech playwright Karel Čapek, who coined the term based on the Czech word for “to work” in his play R.U.R. Making Robots More LifelikeĪ model of Gakutensoku’s movement mechanisms. The current version uses a computer to control the movements. A cylinder rotated at the center of the robot, pushing air through rubber tubes and bringing pressure to bear on the various moving parts. The original Gakutensoku worked on a mechanism similar to a music box. The robot’s smooth movements are made possible by rubber tubes and an air pressure mechanism. The enigmatic-looking android smiles as it writes down its thoughts with its arrow-shaped pen (representing human creativity). After a period of thought, Gakutensoku opens its eyes and the “inspiration light” in its left hand is illuminated. At a given prompt, the robot closes its eyes and begins to meditate. The eyes, eyelids, cheeks, mouth, neck, and chest all move. The face was designed to reflect the characteristics of different types of people from around the world. The rebuilt Gakutensoku on display at the Osaka Science Museum. The robot’s design was deliberately intended to symbolize the entirety of nature. ![]() ![]() On the robot’s breast is a cosmos flower, symbolizing the universe. On top of its head is a crown of leaves, which form the basis of all the world’s nourishment. The idea was to symbolize the equality of all races. The robot’s strange face with its big eyes was designed to combine the characteristics of people from all over the world. The front of the desk is embossed with carvings of the sun, water, animals, and other items. Towering to a height of some three meters, Gakutensoku sits at a desk with a pen in its right hand and a light in its left. The robot represents the harmony of nature and the co-existence of all natural life,” explains Hasegawa Yoshimi, curator at the Osaka Science Museum. “Gakutensoku encapsulated Nishimura’s thoughts and ideas. Nishimura was also a biologist who was deeply knowledgeable about the natural world. The name Gakutensoku means “learning from the laws of nature.” The robot’s creator was Nishimura Makoto, an editorial writer for the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. The modern version now on display at the Osaka Science Museum is a replica made in 2008. The robot was unveiled to the public at the Kyoto Grand Exposition in Commemoration of the Imperial Coronation in 1928, and was subsequently shown at several other exhibitions before being lost during a tour of Germany. Thought to be the first robot ever built in Japan, Gakutensoku has a wide range of fluid, dynamic facial expressions and communicates by writing messages with a mechanical pen. The original Gakutensoku, pictured with its creator, Nishimura Makoto (left).
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