This bot even does the dishes

(Credit: BornRich)

We used to joke that Japan was hurtling toward a human-free society, but now we're starting to worry that it's true. The island nation, already concerned about its rapidly declining population (of humans), has recently debuted bots that can clean buildings, plow snow, detect smoke and even police grounds while others escort hospital patients and take their temperatures.

But now robots are entering the ultimate inner sanctum: the kitchen. BornRich says a team of more than 40 Japanese researchers spent four years creating a domestic bot that can, among other things, wash dishes. (Maybe it's not such a bad trend after all.)

They're not yet cooking seven-course meals, but these machines can pour tea apparently without spilling, which is more than we can say of ourselves. But if they start preparing sushi, we're heading for the bunker.