MURATA BOY and MURATA GIRL to Contribute to Cultural Exchange in Europe!

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. would like to announce that its bicycle-riding robot MURATA BOY and unicycle-riding robot MURATA GIRL will be taking part in bicycle events and holding special science classes for children and youths at the Ars Electronica Center in Linz, Austria. With the cooperation of the Austrian National Tourist Office, the robots will additionally travel to schools in the Linz area where they will also be holding special classes

This will be MURATA GIRL’s first trip overseas, and MURATA BOY’s first opportunity to visit Austria and conduct classes in the European region.

As part of its social contribution activities, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. has been conducting “delivery lectures” on science and the environment at elementary and junior high schools throughout Japan since 2006. With the help of its bicycle-riding MURATA BOY and unicycle-riding MURATA GIRL, students have been introduced to the capabilities of these robots and the functions of the electronic components used within them, as well as little-known episodes relating to the development of the robots, and this has awakened many children to the fascinating possibilities of science and monozukuri.

At the request of Ars Electronica, situated in the city of Linz, MURATA BOY and MURATA GIRL will participate in a four-day Ars Electronica-sponsored event that will take place from June 20 to 24, 2009. With the designation of Linz as the “European Capital of Culture 2009”, this event is one that is attracting much attention from throughout Europe. For MURATA BOY and MURATA GIRL, the event schedule will begin with an exchange event with 120 cyclists, and the robots will then go on to hold science classes for children. It was also at the request of the Ars Electronica Center that the robots will take part in events sponsored by the Austrian National Tourist Office on June 25 and 26.

In the past, Murata has taken part in science-related classes and events in a total of 7 countries, including China and countries in the Southeast Asian region, but this will be the first time for us to conduct science classes in Europe.

With the help of MURATA BOY and MURATA GIRL, we hope to continue to convey the wonder of science and the fun of monozukuri not only to children in Japan, but to even greater numbers of children overseas.

Since 2009 also marks the 140-year anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Austria and Japan, we also hope that our participation in this event will serve to promote even better relations between Japan and Austria.

Ars Electronica Festival

Austrian National Tourist Office-sponsored events

25日 (Thurs.) 26日 (Fri.) 

The “delivery lectures” that Murata conducts at Japanese elementary schools will be held at schools in the city of Linz to awaken children to the fun and wonder of science and monozukuri.

The Ars Electronica Center was established in Linz, Austria in 1996 as a prototype of the “Museum of the Future”, and is a cultural facility for international media art that aims to create and provide a wide variety of interactive opportunities for the public to interact with state-of-the-art media technology. In addition to introducing media art, it has also held exhibitions focusing on the social implications of new technologies.

The four divisions making up Ars Electronica are the “Ars Electronica Center”, a state-of-the-art museum, the “Ars Electronica Futurelab”, a laboratory for media art research and social application, the “Ars Electronica Festival”, a festival held each September, and the “Prix Ars Electronica”, an international media art competition. A new Ars Electronica Center opened its doors to the public in 2009. Under the core theme of “humanity”, the Ars Electronica Center introduces the cutting-edge synthesis of art and science along themes ranging from robotics to biotechnology.

The center introduces a variety of projects corresponding to the five meta-keywords of “presence”, “emotion”, “body”, “order”, and “loneliness”, and pursues the theme of the “human” in the 21st century from the perspective of art. Through the robot, which is the synthesis of art and technology, the center also seeks to display the relationship that will exist between people of the future and technology in exhibits centering around the keyword of “emotion”.

In addition to becoming an international hub for media art, the new Ars Electronica Center, which opened its doors to the public in 2009, also functions as a center for regional and international cultural exchange.

It should also be noted that the city of Linz, Austria, where Ars Electronica is based, was chosen as the “European Capital of Culture 2009”.