What kind of research other companies and universities were conducting was almost not a matter to me. By all means, I did read and refer to books from time to time, but doing exactly what someone else has done before is like retaking an exam. You cannot move ahead of someone by just following his footsteps, because you would not be able to see the road ahead. It is okay when you win and attain the first seat in the race, but slipping into the second place means being the second best. In other words, you did not win.
Results are everything.
There are times when the process of the race is reviewed, but that is not evaluated. It is the final result that counts. Same thing can be said for robot development. To date, we have developed various element technology and mechanisms. Each time we develop something anew, we show the robot to the company's top management.