Why Japan Makes the Cutest Robots in the World
Robots are getting smarter and more capable every day. In Japan, they’re also getting cuter.
Takayuki Todo
Takayuki Todo is a Japanese media artist whose work explores the emotional and perceptual relationship between humans and robots. He studied at Kyoto City University of Arts (bachelor) and then at the Institute of Advanced Media Art and Science (IAMAS) in Gifu (master). Among his notable artworks, Todo created “SEER: Simulative Emotional Expression Robot” (2018), a 3-D-printed humanoid robot head equipped with a camera and servomotors that tracks a viewer’s gaze and mimics facial expressions, with the aim of investigating the role of “gaze” in overcoming the uncanny valley. More recently, his installation “Dynamics of a Dog on a Leash” won an honorary mention at Prix Ars Electronica (2025).
Japanese ‘Dynamics of a Dog on a Chain’ Exhibit Divides Audiences
The scene from a recent Japanese art exhibit featuring a chained robotic attack dog proved divisive, which was the intent.