Nurses to be Replaced By Robots in Japan

        

 Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and robot design company Kokoro have created male and female robot nurses in a bid to address patient needs in hospitals where there is a shortage of nurses.
While Actroid F, the female nurse was created some time ago, the companies built her male partner more recently and gave both 'retinas' to increase their functionality.
The robots imitate movements of the people they are watching and are placed as observers in hospitals to see how patients feel in their presence.
By placing cameras in the retinas of the robots they have made it possible for them to direct their line of sight towards the patient.
Researchers say reactions were mostly positive and that patients felt lonely after the robots left their rooms.
Japan has a shortage of nurses (and a growing elderly population) and it is estimated that the country could save trillions of yen in healthcare costs each year by using robots to monitor and comfort the nation's elderly.
news24