Inside Japan's futuristic care homes where robots look after elderly

This doesn't look dystopian at all. Sure the one playing videos and stuff is on that line, but most of it's about mobility aid for residents and reducing the strain on staff, they even point out that they can't use these robots to replace people. This all looks like good news if you read anything past the headline.

He added: “I often receive questions from people in other countries, such as: ‘It costs a lot to introduce this…can we reduce the number of staff?’

“Not yet, we are not at that stage…although we can reduce the workload of people, we cannot replace people.”

David Sinclair, chief executive of the International Longevity Centre UK chief executive, warned that the potential of technology to transform elderly care was sometimes overstated.

Simple innovations such as urine sensors in beds and lifting aids are likely to be of more use in the future than expensive humanoid robots, he said.

He added: “Robots like Pepper are very expensive and it is not clear that having a robot talk to you brings the same benefits as real human company.”