Japan’s Robear: Strength of a robot, face of a bear

BEAR-Y GOOD: "Robear" lifting a woman for a demonstration in Nagoya, central Japan. The "Robear", developed by Riken Institute and Sumitomo Riko, has a polar cub-like face with big doey eyes, but packs enough power to transfer frail patients from a wheelchair to a bed or a bath.

TOKYO: Forget the frightening androids of dystopian sci-fi, the future of robots is cute polar bears that can lift elderly people into and out of bed. 

The “Robear” has a cub-like face with big doe eyes, but packs enough power to transfer frail patients from a wheelchair to a bed or a bath, Japan’s Riken institute said.