Robots, such as the sound-sensitive Chapit, answer simple
questions and even joke with people to help the solitary fight loneliness and
stay alert in old age.
"Many older people in Japan live alone and have no
one to talk to," said Kazuya Kitamura, a representative of the expo
organiser. "Communication robots accompany people and don't mind listening
to the same stories over and over again."
While Chapit, a relatively simple robot, managed to
attract a corporate partner, many researchers, such as Kiyoshi Matsumoto, a
professor at the University of Tokyo, struggle to attract sponsors for more
expensive projects.
Matsumoto's "Personal Mobility Robot", equipped
with four cameras and a sensor to recognise the user's centre of gravity, is
designed to help elderly move around without pressing buttons, using joysticks
or rotating wheels as in traditional wheelchairs.
The robot can also help find misplaced spectacles by
identifying them with a sensor.
"We have developed a robot that can assist many
people, but because of the high cost, we still haven't found a sponsor,"
said Matsumoto, who added that the cost of the machine, if mass-produced, would
be comparable to that of a compact car.
"In the current economic environment there are few
companies willing to invest in such a costly project," he said.
Other robots, such as the award-winning "DiGRO"
can support busy parents who have little time to play with their children.
The robot can use the Internet to find a simple image and
then draw pictures, keeping children company while parents work.
Japan
has one of the world's fastest-ageing societies and the government predicts
that by 2050 the proportion of people over 65 will reach 40 percent.
