Why Doesn’t
Uruguay Have
Robots?
Angela Wang, Eddie Lu, Hong
Chen, Roy Li, Zhijun Huang
What is a Digital Divide?

Divide between “haves” and “have-nots”

Information and Communication Technology
(ICT)
 Internet:
Access to information, global
economy
 Tele/mobile phones: Instant communication
Significance
Access to ICTs is important in a global
economy
 Sustains inequality between rich and poor
 Digital divides amplify economic
differences

Where are the Divides?



Global
 Developed and developing nations
Local
 Social groups within a nation
Social factors
 Gender
 Age
 Culture
 Geographic localization
 Socioeconomic factors
Bridging the Divide
Increasing access to Internet
 Affordable personal computers
 Computer and internet training
 Inclusion of technology in culture

Japan vs Urugruay
Uruguay
Japan
Japan
High-Tech Japan
G8 summit
 CEATEC JAPAN
 Cutting-edge technology exhibitions
 DLNA
 NGN
 PLC

Innovations

Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency
 International

Robotics
 Honda
Space Station
Methods of closing the Divide
Narrowband to broadband
 New “super-fast, nationwide fiber system”
 Government encouragement
 Science and Technology in Society Forum

Rural Japan
Limited or no internet access
 “Community internet”
 Broadband access
 Encouraging government subsidies
 Population drift to urban areas

Japan's Digital
Divide
Technology in Daily Life
E-commerce, mobile-commerce and
the acquisition of information
 Mobile terminals are the most common
source of internet access
 The number of Japanese that use
cellphones is twice the number that
have landlines

Economics
Electronics and machinery are key exports
 72% of GDP comes from service industry

Government Actions


‘e-Japan Strategy’
'u-Japan Strategy'

Huge emphasis on technological
advancement
Only 1% of GDP spent on defense
Uruguay
Stats of Uruguay
Ranked 2nd
according to the
Human Poverty
Index
 Ranked 3rd
poverty below $2
dollars a day

Growth of Uruguay from a Global
View
 Agricultural
Based
Economy
 Relied on raw material
exports until 1998
 Increase of capital
good imports
 Exports fell by 25%
Technological Status



Lack of Technological Growth led to stagnation
in globalization
Spending on research and development was
0.26% of GDP
Of a million people in 2002:
 370
are scientist
 51 are technician

3% of their exports was technology
Bridging the Digital Divide
• Improve Education,
which includes
providing computers
• One Laptop Per Child
(OLPC) - nonprofit
organization
• Uruguay has invested
in 100,000 laptops
OLPC
• Mission: “eliminate
poverty and create
world peace”
• Funding:
– AMD
– Google
OLPC: Aims

Narrowing the Digital Divide
 Improve
education
 Encourage collaboration
 Increase internet connectivity
 Inspire technical careers
OLPC in Uruguay
• Large Investment
– 100,000 x $200 per
laptop
• Full coverage of all
students 6-12
• Internet
connectivity in all
schools by 2009
Improvements




Uruguay has now put
more effort into software
industry
Uruguay was ranked 36
on the prosperity index
The income inequality
was ranked 88
Literacy rate is ranked
51th, at 97.7%
Internet usage
YEAR Population Internet Users
Percent %
2000
3,304,921
370,000
11.2 %
2005
3,251,269
680,000
20.9 %
2007
3,477,778
1,100,000
31.6 %
Japan (blue) vs. Uruguay (green)
Bibliography

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/7114785.stm

www.griffith.edu.au/.../japanesemain/bmark.html

www.instablogs.com/media/2006/12/japan1_69.jpg

http://radian.org/notebook/first-deployment

http://www.olpcnews.com/countries/uruguay/uruguay_buying_olpc_x
o_intel_classmate.html