"The Inspiration Behind Robot Mascots at Tokyo 2020: Exploring the Tech and People Driven by Children's Imaginations (Part 3)"
In a remarkable display of human-centered technology development, Toyota's project team has transformed the Tokyo 2020 mascot characters, Miraitowa and Someity, into lifelike humanoid robots. This ambitious project, driven by a desire to bring joy and smiles to children, overcame significant technological challenges and adapted to changing circumstances, including the postponement of the Games and the COVID-19 pandemic.
The process began with a human-centered design approach, prioritizing the emotional impact on people, especially children. Early efforts focused too heavily on technology, leading to some setbacks. The team then adjusted their strategy to better balance technological innovation with user experience and emotional connection.
The development was marked by persistence and adaptability. The team's resolve was strengthened by a shared vision to create something meaningful and uplifting. To make the mascots more lifelike, they were covered with a single piece of elastic material resembling animal skin and had their joints wrapped in flexible resin covers that conformed to their movements.
One of the key decisions made during the development was to abandon the use of AI technology halfway through the project and start again, developing a remote-controlled robot due to concerns about the error rate in AI-driven communication. This change proved to be a success, as the mascot robots achieved a 100 percent success rate for communication by switching to remote control.
Development times for programming dance routines for the robots have decreased significantly, from months to around one week. The original mascot robots had a fixed waist and couldn't stand or walk, but the team decided to develop full-scale mascot-sized humanoid robot technology after the postponement of the Games.
The mascot robots were originally planned to be displayed at various locations and used in the Front-Row Seats for Future Stars Project for students with special needs. However, with the Games postponed, plans for using mascot robots had to be greatly revised, and they were instead assigned new roles for the Olympics and Paralympics.
In a heartwarming display, the mascot robots surprised children and parents at special needs care facilities by moving and interacting like real mascots. The team aimed to create natural movement, an appearance that didn't feel robotic, and natural interaction with their surroundings for the new mascot robots.
The project was not just about event-time robotics but also about cultivating future Toyota leaders and pushing forward with robotics technology that can assist and engage people beyond the Games. After the Olympics, the team developed a new mascot robot, Bear Atsushi, for NHK's new program, Reformer's Cane.
The project leader, Tomohiro Nomi, aimed to create ways for people to connect and interact safely through the use of robots due to the pandemic. The team also aimed to appear on Kohaku Uta Gassen, an annual New Year's Eve television special, with the mascot robots dancing to Foorin's "Paprika" alongside elementary school students from around Japan.
This project reflects Toyota's broader commitment to people-centered technology development, evolving from a purely technical challenge into a multidisciplinary project combining robotics, emotional design, and social impact. The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games launched the Tokyo 2020 Robot Project in 2018 to promote the adoption of robots in society, and Toyota's humanoid robots are a testament to this vision.
The team's initial focus on technology heavily influenced early setbacks in the development of lifelike mascot robots for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. However, they later adjusted their strategy to balance technological innovation with user experience and emotional connection, ensuring the robots would not feel robotic but instead interact naturally with their surroundings.
In addition to their roles during the Games, these humanoid robots were also used to bring joy and smiles to children at special needs care facilities, embodying Toyota's broader commitment to people-centered technology development. This project, while initially focused on event-time robotics, expanded into a multidisciplinary venture, combining robotics, emotional design, and social impact, demonstrating the potential for robots to assist and engage people beyond sports events.
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