ifbots sucks

Business Design Laboratory Design of Nagoya has announced the ifbots, a pricey cute robot that talks. Referred to as a cuddling robot to make conversation to elderly people, this story reminds me of that old national project to develop a dog-robot for blind people or a nurse robot to zoom documents in the hospital aisles and make shots (don't miss the spot please!). All this push for substitution of people with technology is a reminder that Japan needs more nurses from abroad to compensate for the lack of incentives and willing locals to do the job, and the growing difficulties of an ever older population. Technology like that is not cute but willing blindness to the harsh social facts.