This is a sad day in the world of robotics as Nagoya's Robot Museum has announced that the facility will be closing after only one year in operation. The announcement, which expressed embarrassment and offered apologies to fans, appeared suddenly on the museum's website yesterday. The reason given for the closure has to do with a lack of visitors, which kind of makes sense given that Japan is currently the Mecca of robotics (Japanese locals are increasingly less-than-impressed by humanoid robots).

Another reason for the lack of visitors could be location. Nagoya is about one hour and forty minutes one-way by train from Tokyo, an all day trip for most sightseers. Putting the museum in Tokyo--closer to the hordes of gaijin tourists looking for robotic wonders--probably would have guaranteed the facility's survival. The museum's last day is September 30, so if you are a true robot fanatic you'll buy your plane ticket now and get out to Nagoya before the fun ends. — Adario Strange

Via Robot Museum

Photos courtesy Cieguilla and ngs