Teaching android to take over a class in Japan

You got to hand it to those zany Japanese scientists. They are just one step ahead of everyone else in the whole robo-game.

Coming for a trail-run at a classroom somewhere in the heart of Tokyo is this robo-teacher. Her name is Saya. Her creator, science professor Dr. Light Hiroshi Kobayashi, spent the last 15 years working diligently on her.

Teacher Saya can speak a few different languages, interact with the students, take attendance, assign homework, and her face is capable of displaying robo-emotions utilizing 18 different motors. Saya wasn't built only to teach: she is a general purpose robot, that has been used in other roles.

Robots are quickly taking over Japan, with the government helping things along with robot-friendly initiatives. Japan is also in a bit of a conundrum as the Japanese population is largely composed of baby-boomers who are entering their twilight years, and there is a shortage of young Japanese people to take over the jobs. The birth rate in Japan is extremely low -- some people believe this is a side-effect of how long and hard most Japanese people work (12 and 15 hour work days are common). A whole new generation of robots are being developed to take over in roles that before, only humans could do, such as secretarial and nursing work.