Saturday, May 1 marks the opening of the much-awaited Expo 2010 Shanghai China. The exciting event is expected to attract 70 million visitors, breaking the all-time record set by the 1970 Japan World Exposition in Osaka. Sumitomo Corporation will participate in this event by presenting cleaning robots jointly developed with Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. The presentation is scheduled to take place over five days between May 19 and 23 in the Japan Pavilion.

The robots will be featured in an event staged by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a partner organization from Japan, under the theme "Better Living with Robots." With this interactive exhibit designed to demonstrate home assistance robots, NEDO intends to highlight the advanced level of Japanese robotics and raise awareness about the need for safety standards for commercializing these kinds of units for home use. Two robots jointly developed by Sumitomo and Fuji are among those selected to be part of the exhibition, namely, a robot for cleaning common areas within buildings such as Harumi Triton Square that has been in use since 2001 and a new, smaller, office-cleaning robot under efficiency test, which was unveiled in November 2009. Following an explanatory presentation on stage, the robots will be demonstrated at a booth, giving visitors a preview of what life with robots will be like.

Stay tuned for a report on how the event went!