The
design doesn't have as much freedom of movement as a human
being, but makes up for that with numerous joints that
flex to degrees you wouldn't see in real people. It won't
always look the most natural when doing its job, but it'll
be effective. It can also correct for slips, and it's not
deterred when it has a limited field of view.
AIST's
robot is methodical, but you can't call it quick given its
tendency to take baby steps and otherwise act cautiously.
The potential is huge, however. In addition to typical
building construction work, robots like this could also
help assemble aircraft and ships. The team is aiming for
collaboration with private companies that would treat
HRP-5P as a development "platform" that could lead to
further breakthroughs.
However,
the machine also fits into a familiar pattern for Japan:
its determination to address
population shortfalls through technology instead
of immigration. AIST is quick to declare that robots like
HRP-5P are meant to tackle the "manual shortages" expected
to stem from Japan's aging residents and shrinking birth
rate. This would free the shrinking number of human
workers to focus on lighter and less dangerous work,
according to AIST. It could be useful far beyond Japan,
but it's meant to address a far deeper issue that robots
can't fix.