Author of Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots, Tim Hornyak and Japanese robot toy ("jumbo machinders") expert Matt Alt take students on a historical journey detailing anime, manga (including Tetsuwan Atomu's iconic Astro Boy), mechanical karakuri dolls, and the rise of robots and androids in Japan. Take a virtual tour of the robot exhibition, a part of 2008's JAPAN! culture + hyperculture at the Kennedy Center, featuring some of Japan's most popular robots, including therapy robot seal Paro, movement and balance-masters Chroino and FT, Sony's robotic pet dog Aibo, Tomy's tiny fighter i-Sobot, household helper Wakamauru, the trumpet-playing Toyota Partner Robot, the life-like android Actroid, and Honda's robot superstar Asimo. in addition to the student robotics Team 194 RoboCats from Battlefield High School, meet two researchers who have made remarkable progress in the field of robotics: Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro and Robo Garage's creator Tomotaka Takahashi (recorded in 2008 at C. D. Hylton High School in Woodbridge, VA).

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