■ Robotics
Bipedal robot uinveiled
Japanese researchers yesterday unveiled the world's first two-legged walking robot capable of carrying a human being, which many hope could prove a boon to wheelchair-bound people and help move heavy goods on uneven land. The prototype robot, codenamed WL-16, took two years to develop in a joint project involving the Science and Engineering Department of Tokyo's prestigious Waseda University and robot-maker tmsuk, based in the southern Japanese city of Kita Kyushu. The battery-powered robot, basically an aluminium street cafe chair mounted on two sets of telescopic poles bolted to flat plate "feet," can move forwards, backwards and sideways while carrying an adult weighing a maximum of 60kg.
PHOTO: AFP
■ Philanthropy
Gates are No. 1 benefactors
Microsoft Corp chairman Bill Gates and his wife Melinda rank as the No. 1 philanthropists in Business Week magazine's second annual list of benefactors. The list also includes Dell Inc chief executive Michael Dell and his wife, Susan; PeopleSoft Inc chairman David Duffield and his wife, Cheryl; and former EBay Inc executive Jeffrey Skoll, the magazine said. Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, is the world's largest software company. Gates, the world's richest man, doubled his donation to prevent the spread of AIDS in India to US$200 million.
■ Macroeconomics
Japan confirms recovery
Japan's ever-cautious central bank yesterday confirmed what many economists have long been saying: the world's second largest economy is recovering thanks to robust exports. "Japan's economy is starting to recover gradually ... [and] is anticipated to continue recovering, albeit at a moderate pace," the Bank of Japan declared in its monthly report on recent economic and financial developments for November. "Exports are increasing and capital investment continues a gradual recovery," said the bank, although adding that housing construction remains sluggish and consumption is weak.
■ Music Industry
EMI offers rival bid
EMI Group PLC, the world's third-largest music company, said it had been notified that Time Warner Inc's board was considering a rival bid for Warner Music Group, the media giant's music unit. "Time Warner has tonight informed us that they are now considering a possible proposal from another party as an alternative to our own firm offer," EMI chairman Eric Nicoli said Thursday in a statement. The British company behind acts like Radiohead, Kylie Minogue and Norah Jones has reportedly offered Time Warner about US$1 billion in cash plus a stake of about 25 percent in a merged company for the music division of Warner Music Group. Time Warner's board met Thursday to discuss EMI's bid and an estimated US$2.5 billion offer from an investor group.
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
Democracies must remain united in the face of a shifting geopolitical landscape, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Tuesday, while emphasizing the importance of Taiwan’s security to the world. “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism,” Tsai said at the annual forum in the Danish capital. Noting a “new geopolitical landscape” in which global trade and security face “uncertainty and unpredictability,” Tsai said that democracies must remain united and be more committed to building up resilience together in the face of challenges. Resilience “allows us to absorb shocks, adapt under
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it is building nine new advanced wafer manufacturing and packaging factories this year, accelerating its expansion amid strong demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The chipmaker built on average five factories per year from 2021 to last year and three from 2017 to 2020, TSMC vice president of advanced technology and mask engineering T.S. Chang (張宗生) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “We are quickening our pace even faster in 2025. We plan to build nine new factories, including eight wafer fabrication plants and one advanced
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