EMU Yurikamome 7300 series arrives at Telecom Center station
She works for the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (hereafter Miraikan). When I visited Miraikan last weekend, she was chatting with a male curator sitting on a sofa. Who is she?
She is an android lady for research purposes. It was created by a Japanese researcher, Dr. Ishiguro. His research is to know what human beings are. For instance, the android lady behaves like a human; however, there might be something different. According to Dr. Ishiguro, that "something" is probably the essence of human beings. In fact, the android lady is slightly awkward in her movements. That is a hint to know what human beings are.
Incidentally, to get to Miraikan, the nearest station is Telecom Center on the Yurikamome line. Yurikamome is an automated guideway transit (AGT) system in the Tokyo Bay area. It was partially opened in 1995. The current total operating length is 14.7km.
The recent topic of the Yurikamome line is the enhanced deployment of the EMU 7300 series. The EMU 7300 series is a driverless train with rubber tires instead of steel bogies, which is the same as the existing 7000 and 7200 series. All trains are operated automatically without drivers so that the passengers can enjoy the view ahead sitting on the "rail fan's seat" at the end of the train. Currently, a total of 18 sets, 108 units are commissioned on the line.
The android lady and the latest AGT train - I glanced at the future world on the Yurikamome line.
An android lady works for "Miraikan" near Telecom Center station on the Yurikamome line
Official information about the EMU Yurikamome 7200 series:
Official information about the EMU Yurikamome 7300 series (in Japanese):