Robots continue their quest to take over entire hospitals

In yet another example of high-tech Japan shooting its own labor pool in the foot, Aizu Central Hospital in the Fukushima prefecture has hired two new types of robots to replace workers in a medical field that is already seeing itself become increasingly mechanized. Now that hospital staff from doctors to nurses to blood handlers have found themselves facing low-maintenance, high-stamina robotic competition, it's only natural that cost-conscious facilities would start going after receptionists next, and thus Aizu decided to pick up a pair of multicolored bots to dole out information and guide patients to their rooms. The taller and heavier blue bot is apparently fond of donuts and gossip, and was therefore assigned to sit on its shiny metal ass at a reception desk, while the slimmer green bot -- pictured above, looking like a cross between PaPeRo and Stewie Griffin -- is tasked with roaming the halls and lugging around visitors' bags. The irony here is that once Japan is able to replace its entire workforce with mechanical alternatives, the overwhelming army of unemployed citizens won't have enough money to afford things like food, electronics, and healthcare anyway, leaving the country with fully-staffed factories, hospitals, and restaurants -- but no one to serve.

[Via Plastic Bamboo]

[Lee @ Oct 29th 2006 2:10PM]

I, for one, welcome our donut enjoying, direction giving, multicolored, bag toting, labor replacing medic-bot overlords.

[Good?4?me?123??? @ Oct 29th 2006 3:50PM]

it's ironic isn't it. So now their taking our jobs.

[DudeinAmerica @ Oct 29th 2006 3:56PM]

Japan will be ground zero for the uprising.

[kyle allen @ Oct 29th 2006 4:08PM]

thats it, im buying a shotgun.

[apeguero @ Oct 29th 2006 4:08PM]

Like I said before, sooner or later (maybe sooner), that big island in the northern Pacific is going to enjoy two very distinct honors; one of being the most technically advanced place in this little wet ball we call Earth, and the other which will be having the highest rate of unemployment. Sort of reminds me of Buck Rogers where the center of the city was very technically advanced while the rest of that land was a complete dump with humans bordering the line of being wild animals.

[hal @ Oct 29th 2006 4:20PM]

"The irony here is that once Japan is able to replace its entire workforce with mechanical alternatives, the overwhelming army of unemployed citizens won't have enough money to afford things like food, electronics, and healthcare anyway, leaving the country with fully-staffed factories, hospitals, and restaurants -- but no one to serve."

That is an irony... except for health care. Japan has a single payer system, thus everyone is covered by the government. Plus, you can make a convincing argument that work is the cause of a lot of the illnesses (and deaths) that occur - stress, people coming to work sick...

[snark @ Oct 29th 2006 5:49PM]

In actuality, the population of Japan has been in steady decline over the years, as with most industrialized nations. The dramatic decrease has posed one of the major problems in modern Japan. These robots I guess are suppose to fill in the void of a reduce workforce in the foreseeable future.

Found in Wikipedia:

"The changes in the demographic structure have created a number of social issues, particularly a potential decline in the workforce population and increases in the cost of social security benefits such as the public pension plan. If its birth and death rates remain at the current levels, Japan's population has passed its peak and its population will continue to decline."

[Mark @ Oct 29th 2006 4:41PM]

Wow!! That's amazing how these robots are replacing the work of people. However, it will still take years before this becomes efficient enough for hospitals over the world to use.

[chris prabhu @ Oct 29th 2006 6:07PM]

in 20 years they'll be so grateful they made these, as the bulk of their population dies off

[Rod @ Oct 29th 2006 6:58PM]

Shame who writes these do not know something about the topic before making topics. You should learn about demographic change in Japan and see how valuable this may be, creating unemplyment...what a load of #$%#. Learn and then speak.

[some person @ Oct 29th 2006 10:29PM]

do electronics count?

[ScooterJP @ Oct 29th 2006 11:53PM]

I'm sending edu-bot round to give you some economics 101.
Japan refuses to accept migrants to do its dirty work, and its own people are dropping like flies. Read the news: it's the oldest country now and ageing rapidly. Retirement ages are being pushed back to hang onto people, unemployment is low and there are not enough noobs to do the work in traditional, full-employment workplaces. Lots of things are going to change, and doubtless bots will play a role - even if only as gimmicks to cheer up people entering hospital, or helping those who not to discuss their conditions with strangers.

[netdroid9 @ Oct 30th 2006 2:01AM]

Give it fifty years and people in Japan'll have everything served to them on a robotic plate.

...Lucky bastards...

[JS @ Oct 30th 2006 3:17PM]

Looks like I need to make another Ammunition order to Remmington....

I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords to try and come in my house :)