A mechanical bedside manner

More Japanese companies are developing or planning to develop partner robots, especially in the field of medicine, according to a recent survey by Nikkei Inc.

About 56% of of 68 firms surveyed indicated they're in or may enter the partner robot business, up 1.3 percentage points from a year earlier. Medical care and nursing were the top applications, followed by play and entertainment, then receptionists and guides.

For instance, major Japanese security services firm Secom Co. has sold 200 units of My Spoon, a robotic tabletop eating assistant retailing for around 400,000 yen ($3,300). It's designed to help those who don't have use of their arms. While it's taken five years to reach 200, a new financial aid program by the Japanese Federation of Organizations of Disabled Persons may help sales.

Meanwhile, only 22% of the surveyed firms reported operating profit for 2006. High manufacturing costs and safety concerns were cited as the biggest obstacles to profitability. The former is reflected in relatively high per-unit prices for the category, between 500,00 and 1 million yen (about $4,000-8,000).