Shige Ihara Of NEC X On The Future Of Robotics Over the Next Few Years

An Interview With David Leichner

System Design capability. There are many skills that go into working with robotics, of those a solid understanding in science and math are essential. Other skills like programming, electronics and complex problem solving are skills that can be learned along the way.

With the shortage of labor, companies are now looking at how robots can replace some of the lost labor force. See here for example. The truth is that this is not really a novel idea, as companies like Amazon have been using robots for a while now. What can we expect to see in the robotics industry over the next few years? How will robots be used? What kinds of robots are being produced? To what extent can robots help address the shortage of labor? Which jobs can robots replace, and which jobs need humans? In our series called “The Future Of Robotics Over The Next Few Years” we are talking to leaders of Robotics companies, AI companies, and Hi-Tech Manufacturing companies who can address these questions and share insights from their experience. As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shige Ihara.

Shige Ihara is the president and CEO of NEC X launched in 2018 by NEC Corp, formerly Nippon Electric Company. NEC X is a Palo Alto based business incubator that fast-tracks technologies and business ideas selected from inside and outside NEC.

He is expecting to collaborate and communicate with NEC Labs executives to explore “new R&D asset monetization model” for NEC Labs. Before Joining NEC-X, he was the General Manager of R&D Planning Division/CRL. In his 5 years tenure, he developed the CRL midrange R&D strategy, budget plan and R&D resource management to transform NEC Labs into a new direction.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! What can we expect to see in the robotics industry over the next few years?

I think that in addition to such a basic understanding that some robotics will replace human operations, reducing the cost will be a driving motivation for introducing robotics to operations. In some cases, robots will be able to outperform humans, but there will always be areas where robots will still need supervision. Of course, it depends on the task, not just how fast it needs to get done. If well designed, they can perform better and more consistently than human beings. For example, Beagle Technology, one of NEC X’s portfolio startups, helps wineries with their labor scarcity. Technology and robots are replacing skilled labor and doing the vine pruning. I say skilled because if these workers are not trained, the vinery risks next year’s harvest. This technology can more precisely prune the vines to ensure there is enough leaves and seeds remaining for future harvest. This patent-pending solution replaces manual operation, provides improved accuracy and speed, and reduces cost by about 25% for pruning and 70% for shoot thinning. The robot AI technology provides better quality without intensive training. We can expect more robotics to take over jobs that require accuracy but not high levels of training in the future. Skilled people are much better at fine-tuning, but the robotic performs better on average.

How will robots be used? What kinds of robots are being produced?

To introduce robotics in the future, they will fill many unskilled labor jobs that require repetition in work. Professional labor would focus more on development and growth for robots. I should say more than if there’s some operation or industry where it is hard to level up or to repeatedly perform as expected, there is an opportunity to leverage robots. Robots will allow the company to save on time and money.

To what extent can robots help address the shortage of labor?

Robots will address unskilled and repetitive labor, for instance labor that does not require free thinking or reactive thinking. Take autonomous driving, and if there is a malfunction, there is no one to fix the issue. The cost of malfunctions will be astronomical. That is why robotic technology can be challenging — finding balance: performance vs. cost vs. risk.

Which jobs can robots replace, and which jobs need humans?

Robots can replace unskilled and some skilled workers; like in warehouses, agriculture (pruning as I just mentioned), and there are initiatives for autonomous driving. However, another aspect that probably needs to be considered is the risk. As we look at autonomous driving, there can be a malfunction of autonomous control. This is a high-risk factor because this malfunction could be disastrous. The potential for loss of life, property damage, and chaos demands that we measure the risk. So, once something goes wrong, the cost of such a malfunction without a way to avoid or rectify the situation makes it very hard to introduce such technology. The cost becomes too high. Balancing the benefit not only by looking at costs but some other performance, as well as the risk control capability, is essential. For example, pilots use autopilot when flying. However, autopilot does not replace human beings because the cost is too high should something go wrong.

Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started in robotics?

I started in R&D and business development, so I have always been surrounded by cutting-edge technologies. With the increase in AI technology, I found myself working more with robotics and the software they use. I work on the software automation, not the mechanical stuff.

Robotics is evolving to handle full automation, but the risk is usually too high. That is where software is better. The present technology is evolving enough to drive self-automation but needs to balance the risk and the return. So, in that sense, there are a lot of opportunities. Such software automation might be the key factor for the new business. Robotics itself is just a tool to address a customer’s pain point.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

An interesting story involves one of our EIRs (entrepreneurs-in-residence), Yang, who has created a robotic vineyard pruning technology and launched Beagle Technology. His previous startup was focused on fully automating the tractor for the winery. However, he found it very difficult to fully automate it. So, when he started Beagle Technology with NEC X as a project, we anticipated that NEC computer vision technology would boost his acceleration. We believed that computer vision was the key factor. He created prototypes by assembling materials around him; he used a skateboard to see if the camera adjusted the blade’s height while the skateboard moved along tree branches to make sure the computer vision worked correctly enough to control the blade at different heights. Eventually, we found that it was not necessary to use such a heavy computer. It was an equation that needed to be figured out through the journey.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Ichi-go-ichi-e” (一期一会). It means a once-in-a-lifetime encounter or opportunity; hence should be cherished as such. The quote is trying to say that there is something in every occasion we need to be aware of and cherish, but it is our job to find that inspiration in each moment. Since moments are fleeting this life lesson requires for us to be open to sense the intent or opportunity of such occasions. Otherwise, it is just a waste of time. That is the Japanese style.

Ok wonderful. Let’s now shift to the main focus of our interview. Can you tell our readers about the most interesting projects you are working on now?

Since NEC X’s target is to start a venture journey together with entrepreneurs and help very early-stage startups grow fast, it has allowed for NEC X to get involved from the inception of the project. This has led to many interesting developments. At the moment, I can talk about one of the most interesting projects that utilizes drone technology to help locate missing or distressed people.

How do you think this might change the world?

This drone search and rescue solution will have a profound impact not just on emergency responders, but also to the families of the missing people. In a missing person’s case, time is the biggest enemy first responders face. The longer a victim is missing, the more likely they face danger or peril. If this technology helps even one person be found safely, it will create a ripple effect that affect many people positively from the emergency responder that has the tools to be successful to the family and friends that get the happy news that their loved ones were found safely.

Keeping “Black Mirror” in mind, can you see any potential drawbacks about this technology that people should think more deeply about?

It is hard to think in terms of alternate universe, but it is important to note that any new technology has the ability to shape society in both good and bad ways. The drawback of the technology all depends on the user. A malfunction in the technology is bad enough, but someone intentionally warping it for nefarious purposes is always a fear. In the end a new technology is only as ‘good’ as the people that are using it.

What are the three things that most excite you about the robotics industry? Why?

1. Technology can outperform a human being. This is super exciting because it allows us to push beyond our physical and mental limits and explore what might be possible.
2. Power and Speed of future automation of robotics. Again, robotics when programmed will have the capacity to exceed what a human brain can handle. That opens the door to sorts of possibilities.
3. Control. If the robotic industry can get to a point where it needs less human oversight than certain functions would no longer be constrained by time or basic human needs (sleep, food, exhaustion).

It will be interesting to see how this develops and all the opportunities that derive from these cutting-edge technologies.

What are the three things that concern you about the robotics industry? Why?

1. The risks that come with robotics and automation. The errors or malfunctions are always a possibility. We assume the risk of human error because there is typically supervision to negate the damage, but with robotics a malfunction can be deadly. For example, autonomous driving cars have no human oversight and we become reactive to their malfunctions rather than in the moment.
2. The potential for humans to manipulate technology to harm. There will always be a people with deviant behaviors. We just need to be vigilant that advanced technologies with the potential for good is not used for harm.
3. Planning on social engineering and the fear that it won’t be a big part of innovation. Social engineering takes advantage of human error and vulnerabilities in software and operating systems, so we must be aware and ready to counteract.

As you know, there is an ongoing debate between prominent scientists, (personified as a debate between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg,) about whether advanced AI has the potential to pose a danger to humanity in the future. What is your position about this?

There is always a risk and AI should be seen as a tool. This is humanity’s responsibility to ensure that the potential for harm does not outweigh the good and to demand that if/when technology begins to negatively affect society that it be corrected or taken away. There is too much potential for danger. Just pushing AI is not enough; we need human oversight.

My expertise is in product security, so I’m particularly interested in this question. In today’s environment, hackers break into the software running the robotics, for ransomware, to damage brands or for other malicious purposes. Based on your experience, what should manufacturing companies do to uncover vulnerabilities in the development process to safeguard their robotics?

There is no kind of shortcut when dealing with security. I believe that you need to have a proper protocol and regular testing to check for vulnerabilities and errors from the inception of the project and ongoing after the launch. NEC X has regular penetration tests performed to uncover vulnerabilities. There are no shortcuts, and it takes constant vigilance and quality control.

Given the cost and resources that it takes to develop robotics, how do you safeguard your intellectual property during development and also once the robot is deployed in industry?

This is not new. There are patent protection and legal methods. If it is core you do not disclose it.

Fantastic. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Create A Highly Successful Career In The Robotics Industry?

1. Human Factor Design — understanding of technology and people that will use it.
2. Engineering Skill — but able to implement social engineering at the same time. You must control or manage risk for the industry’s implementation of robotics. As technology continues to grow and become more complex robotics and AI need to be guided by constraints (boundaries) that benefit society as a whole. It is essential that with new developments creators look at the bigger picture rather than just the end goal. We need engineers with a solid moral compass.
3. System Design capability. There are many skills that go into working with robotics, of those a solid understanding in science and math are essential. Other skills like programming, electronics and complex problem solving are skills that can be learned along the way.
4. Behavior Analysis — Behavior analysts are the best suited to lead intelligence development in emerging robots. Establishing methodologies, models, and tools for shaping the behavior of robots is essential because a significant obstacle in the realization of an autonomous robot is programming it to out its task in a reasonably flexible and adaptive way. This is the emergence of goals and guidelines with implied judgment.
5. The ability to combine your left and right brain, methodical but creative thinking, is needed to stay at the cutting edge of robotics. Technology is rapidly growing, but there are still things that humans possess a machine cannot replicate, including creativity, motivation, and emotion. AI has already been successful at duplicating behaviors that are methodical and process oriented. The future lies in the ability for AI to start taking on the right brain characteristics.

As you know, there are not that many women in this industry. Can you advise what is needed to engage more women in the robotics industry?

Programs that encourage skills from a young age help. Mentorships that enable women to break into the robotics industry and have recruiters look for and find more women applicants.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

If you have something that could improve daily human life — not just technology, collaborate. Share the ideas. Encourage or provide inspiration on how technology can improve life, not just improve the technology.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shige-ihara-b62a5a193/

Thank you so much for the time you spent doing this interview. This was very inspirational, and we wish you continued success.

About The Interviewer: David Leichner is a veteran of the Israeli high-tech industry with significant experience in the areas of cyber and security, enterprise software and communications. At Cybellum, a leading provider of Product Security Lifecycle Management, David is responsible for creating and executing the marketing strategy and managing the global marketing team that forms the foundation for Cybellum’s product and market penetration. Prior to Cybellum, David was CMO at SQream and VP Sales and Marketing at endpoint protection vendor, Cynet. David is the Chairman of the Friends of Israel and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Jerusalem Technology College. He holds a BA in Information Systems Management and an MBA in International Business from the City University of New York.