Stepping Into the 21st Century
By “Awake!” correspondent in Japan
LOOK at all those buildings! In the shapes of cones, cylinders, spheres, pyramids, wedges—they look like something right out of the realm of science fiction. Or is it fiction? Each has been designed to show the kind of world that scientists and technologists are hoping to create for the 21st century. They are all part of a huge science fair in Tsukuba, Japan, called Expo ’85.
The Exposition’s chosen theme? “Dwellings and Surroundings—Science and Technology for Man at Home.”
The exhibits, constructed at a cost of $2.6 billion (U.S.), represent the dreams of 47 nations, 37 international organizations, and 28 domestic corporations. Using the latest in lasers, robotics, biotechnology, telecommunications, and a host of other scientific and technological developments, they present visions of how they think life in the next century will be. Shall we take a step into the 21st century?
Close-Up of Some Exhibits
Many of the exhibits have special themes that give the visitors a good idea of what to expect. In the Matsushita Pavilion, “electronics meets an ancient age.” Three-dimensional TV and superdirectional loudspeakers reproduce the sights and sounds of life in ancient Japan. A life-size robot speaks an early version of Japanese. Laser holography creates images of three-dimensional ritual figurines that appear to float in midair. And most amazing of all, a robot actually uses a brush to draw a portrait of a person in less than three minutes.
“What mankind can dream, technology can achieve”—that is the Fujitsu Pavilion theme. Dreaming of having a robot do your work? Then meet “Fanuc Man,” said to be the world’s largest humanoid robot. At 16 feet (5 m) and 25 tons (22,700 kg), he can lift a 440-pound (200 kg) barbell as easily as he can assemble a 4-inch (10 cm) replica of himself. Another dream come true is the Communilab, a multilanguage translation machine. As simple sentences written in Japanese on an electronic pad are fed into the machine, translations, or reasonable approximations thereof, in English, French, and German flash on digital screens simultaneously. Finally, a panoramic 3-D film generated by computer graphics is so realistic that you are prompted to reach out and ward off the water molecules that appear to come right at you.
Not all exhibits are serious scientific ventures. In the Fuyo Robot Theater, for example, youngsters and those young at heart are entertained by large, toylike robots in song and dance and other antics. One of them, “Marco Kun,” responds to voice commands from children and pulls them around the stage in a trailer.
Other attractions include the Jumbotron, the world’s largest outdoor TV screen, measuring some 80 feet by 130 feet (25 m by 40 m), roughly the size of an Olympic swimming pool. Its color picture can be viewed in broad daylight from as far as 1,600 feet (500 m) away.
To show how natural resources can be harnessed, the Theme Pavilion built by the Japanese government features a giant tomato plant cultivated by hydroponic techniques, that is, with no soil but only sunlight, water, and fertilizers. It is about 50 feet (15 m) across and bears some 2,000 tomatoes at one time. This one plant is expected to produce 10,000 tomatoes in the six months of the exposition.
A robot that plays an electronic organ is another attraction in the Theme Pavilion. It can play Bach, or given a word command, it can switch to the Beatles, and it can even read music placed before it. It is intended to show how closely machines can mimic human behavior.
Parting Thoughts
We have not even scratched the surface of what there is to see. There are scores of other international pavilions, industrial and scientific exhibits, parks, rides, and shows of all sorts.
Expo ’85 certainly is colorful, fascinating, and entertaining. But after seeing all the lavish displays, what is one to think? Yes, science and technology have achieved a great deal that is to man’s benefit and enjoyment. But “the Expo as a whole also makes the point that no matter how advanced the technology becomes, it’s still humans who do the designing and planning,” remarks Wolf Morrison in The Daily Yomiuri.
In a sense, Expo ’85 only highlights the immense potential of the human mind and imagination and what can be accomplished if that potential is put to constructive use. Yet, the present sorry state of human affairs testifies that what is urgently needed is, not more technological breakthrough, but proper direction in using what we already have.
What the 21st century will bring, scientists and technologists can only surmise. But those who look to the Creator of all things, Jehovah God, are assured that “the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”—Psalm 37:11.
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(For fully formatted text, see publication)
JAPAN
Tsukuba
Expo ’85 site
[Pictures]
A robot brush drawing of person at right
Jumbotron, the world’s largest outdoor TV