Swine flu robot unveiled in Japan

Japan, home to cyborgs and robots that work or play, showcased an H1N1 simulator robot at a security and safety expo in Tokyo on Thursday.Its creators said the simulator which is in the shape of human being displays flu symptoms. People in the healthcare sector can use the simulator to practice treating the infected and prepare for a possible pandemic. The robot, manufactured by U.S. firm METI, exhibits convulsions, sweats and even tears and becomes more ill unless proper treatment is administered and dies. The Japanese government has stop announcing the number of infected cases to date, but the Welfare Ministry estimates on average 25 million Japanese will contract the disease within the next year. At least 25 people have died in Japan since its first fatality in August. The virus has killed more than 800 people worldwide since emerging in April and healthcare staff around the globe are bracing for a second wave of cases.