Customer Reviews

Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots

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All of my life, I have been promised that the age of the robot is just around the corner. It seems like one of those things that is always in the immediate future, and always just out of reach, an eternal carrot that we keep moving towards, always one step ahead. Fifty years ago, they figured we would all be living with robots in our homes by now, doing domestic chores, entertaining us, educating us. Our plastic pal whose fun to be with!

"Loving the Machine" again makes this promise, and again I am inclined to believe it. Author Timothy Hornyak plays show and tell, taking you on a guided tour through robotics from the primitive first attempts to the modern marvels of Asimo and the semi-android Replee Q1expo. They really are stunning, and one can almost feel the fire of creativity and inspiration driving modern robotics research. The scientists are building robots out of passion, out of a real sense of discovery rather than commerce, and that is what always drives technology forward. All of the different fields are coming together, mixing software with hardware, sharing breakthroughs and triumphs that far outnumber failures and disappointments.

Ostensibly, "Loving the Machine" is also about Japan's relationship with the robot, and it is. Japan's culture of robots stretches back into its distant past, with the Karakuri automatons that are still wonders of ancient technology, unable to be replicated today. Whereas Western cultures have Superman, Japan has Mighty Atom, the robot superboy. Whereas the US has GI Joe, Japan has the super robots Gundam and Mazinger Z. Japan has nurtured a deep-seated love for the robot, and the whole country holds its collective breath waiting for the first truly intelligent robot to announce its own birthday. However, in attempting to contrast cultures, this is where the book loses its footing. The author makes much of The Terminator and the Replicants from "Blade Runner", stressing the West's fear of technology out of control, but never mentions R2-D2 and C-3PO from "Star Wars", Rosie the Robot Maid from "The Jetsons" Johnny 5 from the films "Short Circuit," Bender from "Futurama," or Isaac Asimov's heartbreaking hero from "The Bicentennial Man" There is not even a mention of how the fearsome Terminator returns for a second movie, this time as the hero saving a young boy. While not on the same level, the West has also long had a love affair with cute, friendly robots who are friends and companions rather than just functional machines.

I've been let down before, but "Loving the Machine" has given me a boost, returning me to the childhood where, when asked to draw a picture of what I thought life would be like in the year 2000, I drew a happy home complete with robot butler and flying car. The flying car may be out of the question, but there is at least still some hope that I might live to see the first truly intelligent robot announce its own birthday. Frankly, I can't wait.

Loving The Machine: The Art And Science Of Japanese Robots is a fascinating and informative tribute to Japanese popular culture and its love affair with humanoid robots ranging from anime's Astro Boy to automatons imagined in speculative fiction to have existed in the Edo period of Japanese history. In stark contrast to American movies portraying robots as ruthless, Terminator-style killing machines, Japanese cinema and television has a tradition of gentler robots that mimic human activities. Full-color photographs on every page illustrate this unique analysis of what Japanese culture celebrates robots, Japan's historical connections to robots, and what modern technology indicates the future holds. Loving The Machine is very highly recommended reading -- especially for modern Japanese culture buffs.

Background for Robotics Tsukuba [...] and CES 2011 booth, Robotics Tech Zone, [...
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A better subtitle would be "The Art and Culture of Japanese Robots," for there is little science in this book. Very artfully illustrated, Loving the Machine traces robotics in Japan from 16th century puppets through the comic book robot Mighty Atom to the most recent humanoid and android robots.

Loving the Machine is not about science; it is about a subculture. This subculture is that of the Japanese creators of comic book robots and their hardware descendents. Except when quoting large sales figures for robot pets and the pervasiveness of industrial robots, the author rarely steps outside this subculture. Hornyak wants to pursuade the reader that the Japanese public is far more accepting of robots than is the Western public. This may be true but this book does not succeed in making this case.

The value of this book to this reader is in its description of this fantasy/entertainment subculture. Knowledge of this subculture should make recognition of progress in its surrounding culture more easily recognizable.

Do you want to know what's going on in the world of human-like robots? This book will bring you up to the present and it's happening in Japan. It's good light reading with the right balance of photos of robots. Not any kind of depth - just a light entertaining read. Kid's will like it as well as any adult who's interested in cartoon robots and real cutting edge human-like robots.

The book really shows how easily human-like robots are slipping in the psychie of Japan (and eventually the rest of us). Are we really ready for the coming robot world? Doesn't matter. We're all being softened up by these friendly and so nice robots. Nice, nice robots. Step by step with the help of their human inventors and advertisers, they've started their march into human society. I'd suggest watching the movie "I Robot" after you've read the book, or give both as a gift.

Robots are a big deal in Japan. They see them, not as a future horror, masters of Earth, but as the answer to all of their problems. Robots to take care of the elderly, to entertain the children, to mix our drinks. Maybe because Japanese culture can see a soul in a tree, or a spirit in a rock, that the thought of moving, talking, walking machines do not cause them to break out the shot guns and bar the doors.
This hardcover book explores the nature of robots and automatons, from the past to the near future, from the point of view of Japan, the individuals, the culture, and, yes, even the anime.
A fun book, not too serious, great for the coffee table with tons of photos.

I was reading a Japanese newspaper and the headline read "Android teaching lessons at Tokyo Elementary School".

As a big sci-fi and mecha (robot genre) fan, I often wondered about the progress of robotic technology in America but also how America and Japan perceive the future of utilizing this technology. And what grabbed my attention of "LOVING THE MACHINE: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots" were a few sentences that instantly grabbed my attention.

Here, in America, when robot technology is featured, they are viewed as robots or computers who attain intelligence and want to rule over or destroy the world or humanity. With films such as "Terminator", "Eagle Eye", to even many science fiction novels, robots with intelligence are typically featured as technology that can go awry and humanity will be responsible for creating something that can kill us off.

Meanwhile, in Japan, robotics are seen differently. Integrated into society and it has been that way for a long time with the animation and manga series "Tetsuwan Atom" (Atom Boy) to humans piloting large mecha suits such as Gundam and moreso now as there have been a robot created after a newscaster, a robot serving drinks or food at a restaurant. There are two different perspectives of robotic technology.

"LOVING THE MACINE: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots" is a magnificent book on the Japanese perspective, creation and the utilization of robot technology written by Timothy N. Hornyak, who works at the International desk of Kyodo News.

I was immediately surprised to read that robot technology or the planning of clock-work automations were done back in the 1600's. There are prints that date back during the Edo Period of automations that were utilized in stage performances to tea-serving. Even blue prints from 1796 which Shoji Tatsukawa, a former Waseda University professor, used the prints to create a tea-serving doll.

Hornyak is very thorough when it came to his research in writing this book. Covering Japan hundreds of years ago and then featuring photography and interviews with modern technology representatives. One who said these early automations were what shaped the way the Japanese view robots.

Learning that Europe actually had more technically sophisticated creations which they attempted to reproduce human activities in machine form, Japanese looked at trying to create charm.

That was until the 1920's when there was a robot boom in Japan where people were creating many robots that were mainly non functional but nevertheless, looked futuristic and showed the forward thinking of these inventors.

By the 1930's, robots became a staple in Japanese pop culture. From magazines, comics, songs, radio episodes and more. But the person who brought the concept of robot to mainstream was manga artist Tezuka Osamu, the creator of Tetsuwan Atom (Atom Boy). A machine who was intelligent but emotional. A robot created not to be hurt mankind but a scientist who wanted to recreate a robot after the death of his son.

And of course, from then on, Japanese started utilizing robots in animation such as "Mazinger Z", "Mobile Suit Gundam", "Giant Robo", "Evangelion" and many more. It's a common thing to see in Japan as its so ingrained into Japan's pop culture. Go to a toy store and these popular robots or mecha can be seen in all sorts of merchandise.

But Japan's entry into making robots more humanlike began in the 1960's courtesy of Ichiro Kato, one of Japan's well-known roboticists. Robots walking, playing music on a keyboard. Unfortunately, Kato died in 1984 and his dream of creating a robot that would be humanlike was never achieved but Waseda University known for its Humanoid Robotics Institute would further their research into robot technology.

Mainstream robotics came to play around the 1990's. The most popular were Sony's Aibo which sold out within minutes when it was released back in 1999. The Aibo was not cheap but people who have purchased an Aibo would chronicle their lives on the Internet and showed how the regular Japanese cared for their robots.

But when it came to showcasing human-like movement of robots, automobile maker Honda became a company in the forefront. In fact, on Feb. 14, 2002, Honda's listing on the New York Stock Exchange featured their robot Asimo ringing the opening bell. And eventually, other companies such a Fujitsu, JVC and Toyota would have their own versions of robots.

As robots become more technologically advanced, as mentioned, I am a big sci-fi fan and often wondered when androids like Data of the popular "Star Trek: The Next Generation" would come to play, even though in its beginning stages, in our modern time.

Sure enough, by 2005, at the Aichi Expo was the introduction of Repliee Q1expo cloned after NHK news announcer Ayako Fujii. The creator of Repliee was Hiroshi Ishiguro, Director of Osaka University's Intelligent Robotics Laboratory and sure enough, he was an avid fan of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" android, Data. How an android can elicit natural responses in people and can be integrated into human society.

The potential of robot technology and the concept of androids is starting to become realized in Japanese culture and it's just amazing to read the news on how they are utilized at shows and schools.

Overall, Timothy N. Hornyak was successful in creating a book that features Japanese passion for robots but going as far as the 1600's to modern day with color photographs and interviews with key people involved with the creation of these robots. In fact, there are many forms of early to modern day robots presented in this book (with photos). It's absolutely a great resource for Japanese robotics and its history.

The book is well-written, well-researched and quite enjoyable. If you are a fan of robot or android technology, especially its perception and how they are utilized in Japanese society, I highly recommend checking this book out!

This was my first book on robots. Prior to this book I had only a cursory interest on the topic. But after diving into these pages my interest in the subject magnified. The first third of this book was the most interesting for me. The book opens with a rich history of robots in Japan; highlighting their use in festivals, their functions as tea-serving dolls and social machines was what sparked my interest the greatest. Western films seem to always depict a friction between man and machine, where as with this book we see that Japan had a very inclusive view of automatons. From there, the book travels into the not so distant past of popular culture where Robots are faithful companions to humans and even our saviors. There's a terrific section on "The Mighty Atom" where we begin to see the idea of the robot with a soul -- or perhaps the robot in search of a soul. The book, of course, takes us into the present where Japan continues to make startling advancements in robo-technology, creating life-like and life-size near androids that, from afar, appear deceptively human.

As a fan of films of Oshii and Myazaki, this movie also helped me to understand some of the nuances of their films. Both of these film makers do an incredible job of weaving their past culture with storylines that are relevant to the present. The fusion enriches their works and sparks the curiosity of a Westerner like myself. I can thank this book for giving me more insight on their works. I can also thank this book for inspiring me to blow hundreds of more dollars on other robot related books. The next step will be to blow a few grand on a robot of my own.

I though that some parts overdone with comic characters and Japanese attitudes but overall fascinating. I loved examining the photos of some of the earlier robots over 200 years old. Some look incredibly intricate as well as beautiful.

I also felt inspired to get one of these modern robots too.

What else can I say that my title doesn't convey?

My only carp--perhaps--is that the author fails satisfactorily to address the issue of why robots, so very hyped (albeit less so than, say, thirty years ago), have failed to establish significant inroads in domestic settings. Visit a Japanese automobile factory and you'll see robots everywhere--mounting parts, soldering, painting (even painting one another--accidentally, one hopes!). But in the home--as comedically immortalized in Woody Allen's 1974 hootfest, "Sleeper"--you don't see robots other than as curiosities, such as non-pooping "dogs."

Hornyak could have made the book more entertaining by including the anecdote about Herbie--had he known it. Herbie was a non-anthropomorphic robot that delivered inter-office mail in an AT&T facility in Silver Spring, Maryland. His route was not preprogrammed, but was "taught" to him by spray-painting a gradually fading metallic stripe onto the carpet: Herbie would follow the stripe, stopping whenever someone stood in his path. (Herbie was very polite: not only did he move slowly, but he did not step on feet.) One conniver thought it would be funny to spray-paint the stripe right over to the fifth-floor picture window, whereby Herbie committed hara-kiri in a spectacular blaze. (The jokester was less upset at being fired than at the eighty-thousand-dollar legal judgment.)