Cry, robot: the android dental patient at the cutting edge

Dental robots...well these for for training purposes...this one sure is ugly without her skin though...actually pretty scary but a real nice set of teeth! No here yet, just in Japan...BD

The days of a guaranteed pain-free visit to the dentist may not be far off thanks to a petite Japanese woman in a pink sweater who goes by the name of Simroid. She has a limited vocabulary and a strange complexion, but the 160cm-tall humanoid robot is happy to feel your pain. Simroid, who will be used at medical colleges, releases a clearly audible "ouch!" whenever a trainee dentist touches a nerve and a reassuring "that's better" when the drill hits the right spot.

In Japan, robots can already be found working as home helps, office receptionists and security guards, as well as on the factory floor. There were more than 370,000 industrial robots in use in Japan in 2005, according to a report by Macquarie bank, 40% of the world total, with 32 robots for every 1,000 manufacturing workers