Suicide rates rise - Can robots reverse this trend?

The number of elderly people who killed themselves in Japan surged in 2007, government figures showed. 

Suicides involving people over the age of 60 rose by almost 9% to 12,107, making up nearly 40% of all cases in Japan, the National Police Agency said. 

Japan's elderly are increasingly concerned about money and rising health care costs. 

Nationwide, the number of suicides rose by 2.9% to 33,093, the second-highest figure since records began in 1978.
Recent months have seen a rash of cases where people killed themselves by mixing chemicals to produce toxic gas. 

Police said that the main causes of suicide were depression, illness and debt. 

But the elderly have been particularly hard-hit by issues linked to Japan's ageing society. 

Health insurance costs have risen and people are increasingly concerned that the state will not be able to support them properly. 

A recent scandal involving millions of lost pension records has exacerbated concern over social security issues. 

And as the traditional family structure has changed, some elderly people are worried that there will be no family members to care for them in their old age.

A Japanese firm has produced a 15-inch tall robotic girlfriend that kisses on command, it is expected to go on sale in September for around $175, with a target market of lonely adult men.
Using her infrared sensors and battery power, the diminutive damsel named ‘EMA’ puckers up for nearby human heads, entering what designers call its ‘love mode.’ 
“Strong, tough and battle-ready are some of the words often associated with robots, but we wanted to break that stereotype and provide a robot that’s sweet and interactive,” said Minako Sakanoue, a spokeswoman for the maker, Sega Toys.”She’s very lovable and though she’s not a human, she can act like a real girlfriend.”
EMA, which stands for Eternal Maiden Actualization, can also hand out business cards, sing and dance, with Sega hoping to sell 10,000 in the first year.

 Cosmetics manufacturer Kao Corporation and a Keio University research team led by robotics professor Takashi Maeno have developed artificial skin that feels just like yours. Or even softer. 

The new artificial outer covering gives you that real human skin feeling by covering a 1-cm thick "dermis" of elastic silicone with a 0.2-mm thick "epidermis" of firm urethane. Countless tiny hexagonal indentations etched into the urethane epidermis provide it with a very realistic texture.