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back to article Japanese wrinklies spurn robot helpers

One of the main drivers of the Japanese - and hence the world's - robotics industry is the increasingly elderly population in the land of the Rising Sun. In order that workers of the future needn't all be tied up caring for the oldsters, the Japanese government is funding research targeted at medical and geriatric-care …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Usability

    When I build websites, I go ask the end users (via testing) what they want, and then try to deliver that. I guess this principle doesn't apply to robotics?

    Has anyone ask the Japanese elderly what they want? Or might use? Or was it concerned younger folk, who have no idea what it's like to be old, dreaming these robots up?

    Anything that forced mental-agility quizzes on me would get crushed under my zimmer frame.

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Attack of the vampire robots?

    If Hopis can monitor diabetic blood sugar levels it ought to be based upon a vampire bat or possibly (given nanotechnology advances) a mosquito... I know from personal experience that you need a small amount of fresh blood to do that kind of check...

    No wonder it's unpopular.

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The real problem with Hopis

    Was it's distressing tendancy to trundle along corridors screeching 'Blood! Blood! Give me your fresh blood fleshling! I must FEEEEEEEDDDD! Mwahahahahah!'

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  4. Alan Donaly

    who cares what they want

    they need to build robots that force compliance and regiment those old geezes do it so it doesn't cause any obvious wounding the new pain induction technology should do the trick for getting them to comply they are lucky to get care of any kind they can't work their future lives will be short and unproductive. Not to put too fine a point on the matter these people are going to put the hurt on all of us and very soon for the cost of their care I am not unsympathetic to them but being uncooperative is not a luxury they/we can afford.

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Alan Donaly

    Do you EVER use punctuation?

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  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Re: @ Alan Donaly

    I can see a full stop and a couple of apostrophes! And one capital letter.

    So I guess his answer to your question would be: "rarely"

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  7. the Jim bloke

    @Alan Donaly

    At what age are you planning to die?

    Sooner rather than later I would guess, from the opinions you have graced us with.

    Heaven forbid that you might reach a point where you yourself are 'unproductive' uncooperative, and putting the hurt on anyone else.

    Hopefully I still have a few years myself, in which time geriatric care, including whatever label they give these assistance robots, will have the opportunity to improve and develop.

    If basic human dignity is a luxury you cant afford.. you need to reconsider your budget.

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  8. andy gibson

    Robot Butlers? PAH

    What we need is monkey butlers. Just one at first, but then he'll train others.

    (C) Bart Simpson

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  9. Robert Ramsay

    RE: @Alan Donaly

    At least he's stopped posting from a Commodore 64.

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  10. jon green

    For whose benefit?

    seems to me this is the old ++ story about change:

    If those meant to participate don't see an advantage - or the reduction of a disadvantage - then they wont participate and that applies to all of us.

    SO the technology has to do what the old peeps want it can also do stuff that their carers want [monitoring etc] but if it is not wanted it will not be used.

    There may also be a culture &design issue here to find out what that generation thinks a helpful non threatening machine (wood, brass & steam?) looks like??

    As regards the poster who wrote "those people". What a saddo! You will be old yourself - one day!

    Old age may not be too bad if you consider the only alternative to it!

    Jon

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  11. Demian Phillips

    They know it is a trap.

    They had a film called Roujin Z there that was about some new robotic elderly care bed (due to a shortage of nurses) some company was testing. Turns out the company was testing technology that was to be used in some new military robots.

    Check it out for more RotM news.

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