Robot Olympics: Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces plan to host games alongside Tokyo 2022

Robots would gather at the games to showcase their technical skills

Two teams of robots play against each other in the 2014 RoboCup German Open tournament on April 03, 2014 in Magdeburg, Germany. (Jens Schlueter/Getty Images)

Japan’s Prime Minister has announced his plans to stage a Robot Olympics alongside the 2020 summer games in Tokyo.

Robots from across the world would gather at the event to “compete in technical skills,” Shinzo Abe said according to local media reports.

Mr Abe made the announcement during a visit to a factory specialising in industrial and carer robots in Tokyo and Saitama, where he unveiled his plans to create a task force devoted to promoting robotics.

He said he hoped the committee would help to treble the size of the Japanese robotics industry, which is worth 2.4 trillion yen (£13.8 billion), the Telegraph reported.

“We want to make robots a major pillar of our economic growth strategy,” he said.

He added: “We would like to set up a council on making a robotic revolution a reality.”

Japan’s economy has been ailing since the country's economic boom of the 1980s.

During his visit, Mr Abe tested a bed that transforms into a wheelchair, which would be aimed at caring for the ageing members of the Japanese population.

His comments come as Japanese manufacturers Cyberdyne and Kawasaki have teamed up to create a robot suit that can be controlled by a person’s thoughts. The firms hope the machines will act as external skeletons to help elderly and disabled people move with more ease.