WE HAVE MET THE FUTURE AND IT ISN'T THERE,
or
MY COMPANION HAS 108 LED LIGHTS IN ITS HEAD

Its aging population makes Japan the testing ground for the future of the world's elderly. And here is a partial glimpse of that future, in the figure of ifbot. Looks like we should anticipate a day when the elderly will have no one to really talk to, no one to really spend time with but a factory-programmed robot featuring a full menu of expressions, that can perform such functions as conversation, calculation, puzzles, memory games, advice, medical check among its altogether 15 functions. It also has 108 LED lights built into its head so it can express emotion. It can ask: "How are you feeling today?" But I doubt it will ever really mean it. I think I'll go have a pack of cigarettes.

engadget's take

ifbot: "How are you feeling today?"

Me: "Quite a bit worse, actually."