From 1-3 April 2020 ten German research networks had planned to participate in the 4th 'AI EXPO TOKYO', Japan’s largest exhibition on artificial intelligence.  20 researchers from 11 top-class German universities and research institutes wanted to present their work around artificial intelligence, robotics and employment, and invite Japanese fellow researchers to discuss potential collaborations in the concepts of Industry 4.0 and Society 5.0.  Their participation has been cancelled.

Robot Pepper © VTT Studio / Shutterstock

The planned trip to Tokyo was part of the campaign 'The Future of Work' which is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

Innovative research projects that intended to showcase their work in Tokyo include AI robots helping take care of elderly patients, robotic suits which support older employees working in industrial production facilities, and AI technologies that help humanoid robots to learn faster and more independently.

Another research project looking for collaborations with Japanese researchers has dedicated itself to improving work safety in commercial laundries by using artificial intelligence, for example by implementing sensor-controlled grippers to extract sharp items such as scalpels from hospital laundry. 

The exhibition in Toyo was only one of the stops on a world tour of the innovative research networks of this BMBF campaign.

For additional information visit 'The Future of Work'.