Thursday, October 04, 2007

Isn't this why we have kids

Jonathan, I'm ready for my jello.

Robots may aid aging Japanese population
TOKYO - If you grow old in Japan, expect to be served food by a robot, ride a voice-recognition wheelchair or even possibly hire a nurse in a robotic suit — all examples of cutting-edge technology to care for the country's rapidly graying population.

Operating a joystick with his chin, developer Shigehisa Kobayashi maneuvered the arm toward a block of silken tofu, deftly getting the fork to break off a bite-sized piece. The arm then returned to a preprogrammed position in front of the mouth, allowing Kobayashi to bite and swallow.

I wouldn't use my own arms to try and eat a piece of silken tofu. What I want to know is can the thing cut through a slab of New York strip and dip it some steak sauce? I know the big question on Gino's mind: can it twirl up some spaghetti and get it into your mouth without spilling sauce all over your shirt?

I don't know about this, it would seem like a lot of work. How about just putting the plate in front of me, then putting my face right on the plate, and I could just gobble up as much as I wanted. (in between breaths)

Although my beard is turning white, (not my hair, yet, thank you) I'm still a ways away from getting to the age where these type of considerations will have to be made. I think as equally important a consideration would be what do you do with the food once it reaches the end of the whole digestive process. Hmm, that Depends.

2 comments:

Bike Bubba said...

Birth rate in Japan is about half the replacement rate at about 1.1-1.4 children per woman. Yes, they're looking into robots for a very good reason.

Gino said...

next robot: the butt cleaner.