Japan

Japan is one of those countries with an unusual population pyramid. The high life expectancy and low birth rate trends have created a situation where there may not be enough of a working class to support the large ageing population. This problem has spurred huge investment in the development of robots like Toyota's Partner Robots to help care for the elderly.

A recent news story by Reuters may require Japanese robot developers to rethink their approach to elderly care. Ifbot, a $4300 robot (above left) developed to provide companionship for elderly Japanese, has instead found himself living a lonely life in Japan's nursing homes. The elderly folks lost interest in the robot after only a month and stopped interacting with it after that. Despite packing some useful sensors like a thermometer and glucometer, Sanyo also canned its medical robot named Hopis (above right) due to its lackluster reception with the Japanese.