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TOKYO－A child-like robot that combines the roles of nurse companion and security guard is to go on the market to help the growing ranks of elderly Japanese with no one to look after them．
The“Wakamaru”robot can walk around a house 24 hours a day warning family hospitals and security firms if it perceives(notices)a problem．It will for example call relatives if the owner fails to get out of the bath．
Cameras implanted in the“eye-brows”of the robot enable it to“see”as it walks around an apartment．The images can be sent to the latest cellphones which display the pictures．
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries which developed Wakamaru plans to start selling the metre-high robots by April 2005 for about ＄15 000 Cdn．
Wakamaru which speaks with either the voice of a boy or girl is also designed to provide companionship greeting its“papa”when he comes home．
It is the first household robot able to hold simple conversations based on a vocabulary of around 10 000 words．It cannot only speak but can understand answers and react accordingly．
It will ask“Are you all right?”if its owner does not move for some time．If the answer is no or there is no answer it will telephone preset numbers transmitting images and functioning as a speakerphone．
Wakamaru will in form a xecurity firm if ther is a loud bang or if an unknown person enters the house while the owner is out or asleep．It can recognize up to 10 faces．
But like nost robots it cannot climb stairs．
It can be set to remind forgetful people when it is time to take medicine eat and sleep．
Mitstubishi adapted Wakamaru from robots it already makes to go around nuclear power facilities．The idea to use the technology in the home came from a company employee．
The project chief said “Looking at the ageing of society and the falling birth rate we decide that this could work as a business．We want to offer Wakamaru as a product that helps society．”
The technology has gained nation-wide publicity in Japan among increasing xoncern over how to look after the ever-growing number of old people．The life expectancy of Japanese women has shot up to almost 85 the highest in the world．
At the same time extended families are being replaced by nuclear families．This has left many Japanese anxious about their elderly parents whom they rarely see because of their long hours at the office．