Robot care bears for the elderly. Robot teddy bears are just one of the ways digital technology is being used to care for the elderly in Japan. [BBC News: sci/tech]
Commentary: Pretty cool use of tech to help keep track of how the elderly are doing a nursing home run by Matsushita. Yes, Panasonic's parent company. Currently the bears are wired into the network, but I am sure a wireless solution is on the way. The bears are used to monitor how the patients are doing, including noting how long it takes for the patients to respond to questions.
Looking at the advances made by Honda and Sony with their robot systems, both bipedal and quadraped respectively, I can see a point in time where people will have a robotic companion, equipped with a built in GPS and cell phone. Owners can then call for help when needed, take their medication on time, be tracked if they tend to wander off, and get directions should they get lost. This could work for kids as well.
5:15:23 AM 
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