Japan led the world in robotics for decades.
More than 50 years ago, Japanese researchers captured imaginations with the first robot capable of grasping objects and walking on two legs. In 1984, a team in Japan built one that could read sheet music and play the piano. When Honda unveiled its first humanoid in 2000, it seemed to cement the country¡¯s lead.
But now, just as tech investors, startup founders and government officials around the world are betting that artificial intelligence will spur growth for robots, that lead no longer belongs to Japan.
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