Sumitomo Corporation recently presented cleaning robots jointly developed with Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. in Expo 2010 Shanghai China at Japan Pavilion. Visitors to the exhibition area within the pavilion, one of the Expo's most popular, were astonished by the robot that summoned and rode on an elevator without any assistance. 

An on-stage presentation was given in a form of a drama so that various functions of the robots and what will become capable by that function could be understood. The moment the cleaning robots appeared on stage, illuminated by blue and pink backlights, out came the cameras, all aiming intently at this stunning example of cutting-edge Japanese technology. "100 numbered tickets were handed out for each presentation, which was held eight to ten times a day," says Masao Sakurauchi of the Building & Overseas Real Estate Business Department, "but it was so popular that the tickets disappeared within a minute after the distribution started. We also received numerous questions about retail price, which showed the high interest the Chinese people have in robots."

Both conventional and new types of cleaning robots were presented at the Shanghai World Expo. The former type is continueing to work at buildings such as Harumi Triton Square, while the latter is scheduled to be put into practical use by the end of this fiscal year. Don't miss it!