The streets and subways of Japan are crammed with workers and salarymen, exhausted after a hard day at work. With the birthrate of the country in decline, the workforce is smaller and the overall population is older. In order to assist the elderly, Tokyo University and seven large companies have devised a long term project. This is to combine IT with robot technology, and introduce next-generation robots to perform menial tasks. Toyota, Olympus, Sega, Toppan Printing, Fujitsu, Matsushita, and Mitsibushi are all teaming up to aid the elderly population. By 2008 they want robots to tidy a room, by 2013 to make a bed, and by 2016 they will be able to lift and carry the elderly themselves. Folding laundry and performing heavy-duty cleaning are also part of the proposed plan. If you’re not lucky with the opposite sex, at least you know you’ll never be lonely when you get old!

Via Pink Tentacle

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