Japan has a bit of a head start on this, recognizing early that it will soon have a lot of old people and not enough young people to both take care of them and keep the economy running.  Honda&#x27;s ASIMO is explicitly a mobility assistance robot.  Osaka U. Actroids mimic human appearance.  Mitsubishi&#x27;s Wakamaru approaches the function of a receptionist.<p>So far, no robot seems even close to taking on the everyday tasks performed by low-wage nursing home employees in the US.  But take a look at &quot;Babyloid&quot; and &quot;Pepper&quot;.  They are robots designed to socially engage with people, so they don&#x27;t get lonely and depressed.<p>Japan&#x27;s elderly may soon be conversing with chatbots more often than living people.  Baby Boomers in the US had better take note.