Robot Nurses in the Roadmap

Japan in 2025 will have household robot nurses that can help lift elderly people into wheelchairs from their beds. So predicts Strategic Technology Roadmap released recently by the Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

"The ministry's crystal ball offers mostly down-to-earth predictions, the officials said. The road map is aimed at helping to focus limited research and development budgets on priority projects in fields that are more feasible.

The 200-page road map, distributed to research institutes and businesses, gives predictions for the next two to three decades in 20 fields, including telecommunications, space exploration and the environment.

The report says one of the biggest changes in the home will be widespread use of robots to do chores.

In 2025, a cleaning robot will vacuum and mop floors without human supervision. A separate robot will move furniture out of the way.

Robot nurses will make life easier for elderly people or people with disabilities by helping them to the bathroom or performing other jobs.

Still, these won't be androids. They will be unable to walk, think or talk like humans because neither artificial intelligence nor smooth bipedal movement for robots is likely to be achieved by that time."

Read more in this asahi.com article.