The jury of “The 4th Robot Award” examined entries it had received and decided the winners of the 4th Grand Prize (Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Award), the SME Venture Prize (Small and Medium Enterprise Agency Director-General Award), the Japan Machinery Federation President Award, the Organization for Small & Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation Award, and the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Chief Executive Director Award, and the First Prize. The schedule for the award ceremony and an exhibition of the prize robots was announced as well.

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has been striving to develop technologies required for the commercialization of robots and to ensure their safety, with an eye to fostering the robot industry to become a new leading industry in the world.

This award program was launched in 2006 under the auspices of METI and the Japan Machinery Federation (JMF) to foster innovation in robotics technology in Japan, expand the applications of robotics technologies, and arouse demand for such technologies. The program selects robots that excel the most in terms of their contribution to or potential for future market development from among those that have demonstrated outstanding performance, and presents those selected with the METI Minister Award.

The jury (Chairman: Hirofumi Miura, Advisor, Kogakuin University) carefully examined 92 entries submitted, and picked 12  robots as First Prize winners for their outstanding service this year or last year and for their contribution to and potential for future market development. From among these winners, the jury selected the recipients of the 4th Grand Prize, the SME Venture Prize, the Japan Machinery Federation President Award, the Organization for Small and Medium Enterprises and Regional Innovation Award, and the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Chief Executive Director Award. 

It was decided that the 4th Grand Prize is granted to the “energy-efficient robot operating at a low output of 80 watts that can work with humans with safety and comfort.” Please see the Appendix 1 for more information (PDF:326KB)

Date: Friday, November 26, from 10:30
Place: National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (2-3-6, Aomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo)

* The prize robots will be on public display for three days (November 26-28).
Admission is free, and the opening hours are from 10:00 to 17:00. In the afternoon of November 26, presentations by the award recipients will be conducted from 13:15 to 17:00.

*For more information, please see the Appendix 2 (PDF:152KB) (in Japanese).

November 25, 2010

Industrial Machinery Division, Manufacturing Industries Bureau