Mechatronics Technology Which Assists Human Life from Nursing to Amusement

Mechatronics technology will be utilized in increasingly more areas of human life in the 21 st century. The authors have conducted research into developing medical support devices that utilize mechatronics technology. We have also manufactured performance robots to participate in various robot contests. Mechatronics technology is becoming in for human activities in both production and nonproduction areas. In this paper, we report on the utilization of mechatronics technology through concrete examples of research performed by the authors. We are also engaged in developing nursing devices that utilize advanced technology and have been conducting welding experiments in space, which are necessary for the development of space stations. These research activities help us to predict the direction of technology in the 21 st century.