Robots on the Loose

Within 10 years, every household in Japan will have at least one robot. That food for thought comes courtesy of The Washington Post and a recent story on how Japan is turning more and more to robots as a way to alleviate a declining (and aging) population.

"In the quest for artificial intelligence, the United States is perhaps just as advanced as Japan. But analysts stress that the focus in the United States has been largely on military applications. By contrast, the Japanese government, academic institutions and major corporations are investing billions of dollars on consumer robots aimed at altering everyday life, leading to an earlier dawn of what many here call the 'age of the robot.'"

Perhaps it's no surprise to discover America's foray into robotics has focused on boosting military might. After all, we kick ass.

Anyway, read the whole story here. It's fascinating.

Oh, and for another view on Japanese robots .... there's always the Flaming Lips' "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots"