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Aging Japan Looks to Bots For Care
An anonymous reader writes to mention a Yahoo! news article about robotics in Japan. While many research bots are working on interacting with their environment, some of Japan's commercial robotics are focusing on building bots for elderly care. From the article: "The 100-kilogram (220-pound) robot can also distinguish eight different kinds of smells, can tell which direction a voice is coming from and uses powers of sight to follow a human face. 'In the future, we would like to develop a capacity to detect a human's health condition through his breath,' Mukai said. Japan is bracing for a major increase in needs for elderly care due to a declining birth rate and a population that is among the world's longest living." That sure sounds familiar.
Hrm, i'd like a Beowulf Cluster of these! What would you do with a Beowulf Cluster of old people?
Obviously i was thinking of the bots. Since it's japan they'll come with a plethora of combat abilities and naturally combine to form a even bigger bot.
Hmmm... Pie...
Sorry man, that just a few steps to close to being used as batteries!
Horns are really just a broken halo.
... Selling Robot Insurance. Because robots steal old people's medications and use it as fuel... and robots are strong...
I for one, welcome our breath-smelling robot overlords!
Don't be apathetic. Procrastinate!
I'm glad I got grandma to sign up for Old Glory Robot Insurance.
The Rapture is NOT an exit strategy.
An elderly Japanese man wakes up in a small, white, hermetically-sealed room. He's alone, except for a shiny metal robot with red glowing eyes.
The robot hands him a note, which reads, "Dear Honorable Father: Given the rising cost of healthcare and living, we've decided to have your interned for your own good. The robot will take care of your every bodily need, feed you nutritious OldsterChow(TM) and constantly monitor your lifesigns. Because we don't want you getting sick by being exposed to other ill people or spending hard-earned money on frivolities that are merely fleeting earthly sensations in an already dimming life, you'll have to get used to spending the rest of your days in the safety of this room with the robot as your only companion. We've been told that the robot has a somewhat limited vocabulary. Oh well. Cheers and have a great life!"
The robot pokes the old man in the ribs and asks in the politest, most formal Japanese, "Honorable sir or madam, have you expired so that I may dispose of the worn-out container of your physical being and relieve your kin or other payees of the burden of having to pay for my services?"
The man throws the note at the robot and curses profusely. The robot just stands there, unflinching, and after a moment pokes the man and begins reciting again, "Honorable sir or madam, have you expired...."