'Robot Village' will let you get taste of latest in robotics

A Japanese company on Tuesday opened the doors of a "Robot Village" in which visitors can discover all the latest that robotics and industrial machinery has to offer and manipulate devices such as mechanical arms, Efe news agency reported.

The facilities, located in Kitakyushu city in Fukuoka prefecture, will serve as a technological exhibitor and carry out experiments with new equipment, said Yaskawa Electric, the Japanese industrial machinery manufacturer that owns the "village", on its website.

The company will be displaying around 50 machines, including a robot intended for medical research.

The visitors will be invited to "think about the co-existence between people and robots".

The complex will include a section designed to show current progress and the "future vision" of the sector.

Yaskawa Electric will also establish partnerships with universities and centres specialised in research, development and education about robots.

The company which expects to receive 20,000 visitors a year at the facility, has set the public opening of the complex on a date coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the company.

In a meeting with the media on Monday, company president Junji Tsuda expressed his hope that 'Robot Village' would provide the basis for establishing "industrial tourism", reported Kyodo news agency.