Desperate for workers, aging Japan turns to robots for healthcare

A woman wearing a Cyberdyne lumbar robotic suit, which is designed to help her walk, gets an assist from caregiver Asami Konishi. TSUKUBA, Japan -- In America and other aging societies around the world, it has become common for the elderly to be cared for by their graying children or older workers. That's largely because the younger labor force is shrinking, and few want to do such low-paying, back-aching work. Japan sees an answer in robots. At Minami Tsukuba nursing home near Tokyo, caregiver Asami Konishi wears a robotic device on her hips that cuts the stress on her back when she bends and lifts someone.