We are entering a new age of robotics. there is no doubt about that, at least in Japan. Robots integrated into everyday life is not only a technological feat but also a conceptual and social adaptation. In Japanese world view it is much easier to relate to robots as endowed with souls. This is fascinating, since it seems that we create our future technological world to reflect our beliefs and expectations.

"Robots have hearts," said Kokoro planning department manager Yuko Yokota.

"They don't look human unless we put souls in them.

"When manufacturing a robot, there comes a moment when light flickers in its eyes. That's when we know our work is done."

Public opinion in Japan may be more open to robots than in the West, where dark science fiction visions from movies such as "Bladerunner" and "Terminator" have conjured images of robo-soldiers taking over the world.

Thanks to such benign cartoon characters as Astro Boy, "Japanese people have a friendly image towards robots