Rescue robot after the quake - Interview with tmsuk CEO

  Robot manufacturer tmsuk Co. announced its newest rescue robot T-53 Enryu on July 17, a day after a major earthquake hit Niigata Prefecture of central Japan.

  Three weeks later, the company dispatched the robot to the devastated area so that it can help with cleaning up the debris. You can read a recent post on Engadget about T-53 Enryu – which name means the “helping dragon” in Japanese.

  The voluntary mission is important to tmsuk which wants to prove to the local governments that Enryu indeed is helpful so that they would decide to buy the robots.   

I got to talk with Yoichi Takamoto, founder and CEO of tmsuk, at his company in southern Japan in the end of July. Takamoto started tmsuk back in year 2000 thinking he wanted to develop robots that were not just fun and entertaining - which he thought too many Japanese companies were already focusing on - but that were useful. He thought robots foremost should be able to replace humans working on life-threatening tasks and since he wasn’t interested in working on military robots, he decided to develop robots that can be used in relief efforts.

Thus Enryu. T-53 Enryu can be operated both onboard and remotely and it’s two arms can pick up 100 kg each.

The Japanese government is trying to nurture and promote the country’s robot industry and has been increasing its funding into the research and development of related technologies.

But interestingly enough, Takamoto says the main obstacle right now is the fact that the Japanese government is reluctant to buy Enryu because “there is no precedent.” “No on has ever bought a rescue robot before and nobody wants to take the responsibility of being the first to do so,” explains Takamoto.

So now Takamoto is thinking of first selling his robot abroad. He has received inquiries from several Asian countries which are interested in either purchasing T-53 Enryu or teaming up with tmsuk to develop their own rescue robots. But ironically, says Takamoto, he is hearing rumors that the Japanese government is a bit demurred about his company spilling out the technology to countries abroad.

Takamoto is perplexed. “I need a precedent to be able to sell within Japan and now the government is trying to prevent me from making that precedent.”  Figuring out a way to break out of this dilemma is of course his primary occupation.

  Meanwhile, tmsuk’s robot will make its first landing in the U.S.in September. The biped samurai robot Kiyomori can be seen at the WIRED NextFest in Los Angeles.

(Photo: Takamoto with Kiyomori being prepared to be shipped to the U.S.)