Aspects of Japanese Robotics Research

Robotics appears to be a very lively and fruitful field of research in Japan. Some of the research topics cannot be found elsewhere at all, and some are significantly advanced. Discussing this impression, a collection of laboratories is introduced with their most outstanding topics. This report is based on the notes of trips through Japanese laboratories in February, September 1997, and January 1998 as well as on long term research relationships with Japanese institutes.