How do you see the meme of ‘robots as heroes in the war on corona’ connected to the mythical image of Japan as ‘the land of robots’? Of course, with the web becoming the main site of social interaction, an increasing number of ‘disembodied robots’ have also come to the fore – in the form of self-learning algorithms. Meanwhile, ‘aerial robots’ produced by the Japanese company Terra Drone are safely transporting medical and other supplies from disease control centers to hospitals without exposing humans to infection. In Asia, mass media in countries as different as India, China, and Japan co-produced the meme of ‘robots as heroes in the war on corona.’ Here, ground robots come to the fore as immune and contagion-free workers who deliver medicine, serve meals, take temperatures, disinfect rooms, handle communications. Many parents and workers in Japan have realized that their reality is less robotized and less technology-savvy than the image of ‘the land of robots’ would suggest. This means that it still remains a minority. The rate of teleworking jumped to 27.9% in April 2020. According to that survey, 13.9% of Japanese companies had introduced teleworking by 2017. The government survey says that only 5% of public schools in Japan were able to utilize online unilateral education in April 2020 during the school closure. Suddenly, stories proliferated that depicted Japan as a country that is less ‘high-tech’ and more ‘low-tech’ – and therefore perhaps not ready to deal with the challenges of the ‘corona crisis.’ What does it bring to light about the mythical image of Japan as ‘the land of robots’? When the Tokyo Olympics 2020 were postponed due to the pandemic – and the government declared a ‘state of emergency over coronavirus’ shortly thereafter – the media narrative of ‘robots as secret stars’ changed. The reason provided by 56% of nursing homes for not introducing them was that the “robots” were too “expensive,” 8% said that they were too “difficult to use,” while 8% said that “nursing is the work of humans.” Although the government has provided subsidies to spread nursing robots, a recent survey reveals that in 2017 only 6 of 30 executives had introduced nursing robots, and half of their “robots” were sensors detecting seniors’ actions. Just to give an example from the care sector: Only 8% of home nursing in Japan had introduced lifting machinery in 2015. I think it is a symptomatic marketing effort – symptomatic of a little effective push for ‘robotization.’ Personally, I have not seen any humanoid-type robots in social reality, other than in publicity images and commercials. Perhaps the Field Support Robots will appear at the Tokyo Olympics in the next year, but they might just be an exceptional showcase example. ROBOTIZE YOUR FACE ANDROIDStylized as a culture whose machine-savvy roots date back as early as the 17th century (when, for instance, tea-serving automata were developed) and whose post-WWII icon was an android named “Astro Boy,” Japan unsurprisingly promoted r obots as the secret stars of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 – from care robots providing assistance to spectators in wheelchairs by carrying food and other goods, guiding people to their seats, and providing event information, to so-called Field Support Robots assisting athletes and guiding staff.
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