Global Journal of Human-Social Science, A: Arts and Humanities, Volume 22 Issue 8

advanced mobility vehicles equipped with autonomous driving functions and light batteries, among other features. The company has also focused on aesthetics tocreate a new image for wheelchair mobility . 34 Whill’s autonomous vehicles have also been tested at airport terminals in Japan to improve the quality of service to passengers without adding labor costs . 35 To provide the possibility of an autonomous and mobile life for elderly citizens, public-private projects are run to implement self-driving cars on a mass scale. There is a special need for autonomous vehicles in remote towns and rural regions where public transportation options are limited. For example, in the town of Suzu, at the tip of the Noto Peninsula, the rail station has beenshut down and there are no more than a few bus links during the day. 36 Consequently, elderly citizens rely on private vehicles to get to medical appointments and other obligations. However, older motorists are twice as likely to cause fatal accidents in Japan. According to one study, “drivers and motorcycle riders aged seventy-five or older caused 8.2 fatal accidents per 100,000 licensed road users in 2018, about 2.4 times the number caused by those aged seventy-fours or younger. The number of accidents resulting in death by drivers aged seventy-five and over totaled460.” 37 34 “Advanced Mobility Service for Last Mile Transportation,” Innovation Japa n, The Government of Japan, last modified 2020, https://w ww. japan.go.jp/technology/innovation/personalmobility.html; Uesugi Tsukasa, “Next-generation wheelchair,” NHKWorld Japan , March 3, 2019, This is not a minor issue for towns such as Suzu, where over 50% of the 15,000 local population is over sixty-five years old, with many of that number being bus drivers. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/390/. 35 Michael Gillan, “Self-driving wheelchairs tested at Haneda Airport,” The Japan Times, December 5, 2019, https://www. japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/12/02/national/self-driving-wheelchairs-te sted-haneda-airport/#.XrB8pC_MzOR; “WHILL Autonomous Driving Trial for Personal Mobility Devices to be held at Haneda Airport,” Press Release, Japan Airlines, last modified October 28, 2019, https://press. jal.co.jp/en/release/201910/0053 62.html; “Japan Airline s to trial WHILL autonomouswheelchairs at Haneda Airport,” Airport Technology, last modified October 29, 2019, https://www.airport-technology.com/ news/whill-autonomous-wheelchair-haneda-airport/. 36 Mike Ramsey et al., “Japan Road Tests Self-Driving Cars to Keep Aging Motorists Mobile,” The Wall Street Journal, last modified January 21, 2016, https://www.wsj.com/art icles/japan-roa d-tests-self-driving- cars-to-keep-aging-motorists-mobile-1453357504. 37 Jiji Kyodo, “The Japan Times, Older drivers in Japan cause fatal accidents at twice the rate of under 75s, report shows,” The japan times, June 21, 2019, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2019/06/ 21/national/75s-cause-fatal-traffic-accidents-twice-rate -younger-drivers -white-paper-shows/#.XrB_Hi_MzOT; “ Over-75 drivers cause Japan road deaths at twice rate of younger set,” Nikkei Asian Review , last modified June 21, 2019, https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Over-75- drivers-cause-Japan-road-deaths-at-tw ice-rate-of-younger-set. c) Industrial robotics Although industrial robotization may look distant from the issues of aging and shrinking labor markets, it has the potential to improve productivity where a skilled labor force is ever- harder to come by. It may decouple economic growth and productivity from demographic trends. Despite shrinking labor markets, companies could stay competitive, generating revenues and tax income which may be used to address the problem of aging. Additionally, advanced technologies may transform various heavy industrial jobs into safer and less arduous work. It would make possible to postpone retirement. A good example of this comes from a mineral mine in Garpenberg, Sweden which applies 440 persons, 18% of them are women. The mine is of the most technologically advanced in the world. Among other equipment, it deploys perforating machines which are remotely controlled from a monitor room as well as autonomous vehicles to transport the ore from the mine. 38 While traditional industrial robots used to be programmed meticulously to carry out strictly limitedtasks and movements, the latest generation of industrial robots is versatile and adaptative in termsof movement and tasks . 39 Mira Robotics specializes in patrolling robots that can perform routine surveillance tasks at corporate buildings . 40 They can send voice and image reports to police officers and security guards, becoming a handy substitute for human guards and watchmen. In particular, there has been significant progress in the robotization of repetitive tasks such as product picking, sorting, and palletizing. 41 Thanks to the development of intelligent robot controllers such as Mujin, industrial robots have acquired much greater autonomy . 42 38 https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/ documents/publication/wcms_710863.pdf, 29-33 39 Mujin Video, “Depalletizing robotoperation,” You Tube, October 9, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th93jxqRm8U&feature= emb_logo; Mujin Video, “MUJIN Customer Case,” YouTube,October 15, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlY4pEqNWAY&feature =emb_logo; Prime Minister´s Office of Japan, “Innovation Japan: Making Industrial Robots Intelligent to Improve Productivity,” YouTube, April 1, 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= IWzEO2r 69BU. 40 Bryan Lufkin, “What the world can learn from Japan’s robots,” BBC, Last modified February 6, 2020, https://www.bbc.com/work life/article/20200205-what-the-world-can-learn-from-japans-robots. 41 “Mujin’s picking solutions accelerate factory automation for customers,” MUJN, accessed 2020, https://www.mujin.co.jp/en/solu tion/fa/picking/; “Depalletizing,” MUJIN, accessed 2020, https://www. mujin.co.jp/en/solution/distribution/depalletize/ ; “Insertion into sorters,” MUJIN, accessed 2020, https://www.mujin.co.jp/en/solution/distribu tion/sorter/; “Palletizing, ”MUJIN, accessed 2020, https://www.mujin . co.jp/en/solution/distribution/palletize/. 42 “What is the MUJIN Controller?,” MUJIN, accessed 2020, https:// www.mujin.co.jp/en/product/controller/. © 2022 Global Journals Volume XXII Issue VIII Version I 27 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 A Can the 4 th Industrial Revolution be a Solution to the Challenges of Social Aging?