Upon arrival at Japan's Henn na Hotel, you are greeted by a pair of receptionists nodding from behind the front desk as you check in at a tablet. A quiet grace emanates from their serene smiles, confident gaze, and perfect porcelain skin. Say "good evening," and they may blink. Ask for the weather report, and they may reply, "Tomorrow's weather is fine and 25C." They wear pristine white uniforms, blue silk scarves, and white caps that sit perfectly atop their glossy black bobs.

Japan's robot hotel, the Hen-na ("Strange") Hotel, was supposed to represent the future of lodging with automatons taking care of things that previously required'inefficient' humans. That strategy is coming apart at the seams, however. Hen-na has'fired' over half of its 243 robots after the machines frequently created more problems than they solved. The cute Chu-ri robot you see above, for instance, frequently can't answer questions or may activate in the middle of the night due to snoring. And Chu-ri-chan is just the tip of the iceberg.