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Faced with an aging population and labor shortages, Japanese businesses are increasingly relying on service robots to supplement their workforce, according to Bloomberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n Research firm Fuji Keizai projects the country\u2019s service robot market to nearly triple by 2030, to \u00a5400 billion ($2.7 billion). Potentially driving that growth: The Recruit Works Institute projects that the country will face a labor shortfall of 11 million by 2040, while a government-backed institute estimates that nearly 40% of the population will be 65 or older by 2065.<\/p>\n To illustrate how robots are filling the gap, Bloomberg points to the country\u2019s largest table service restaurant chain, Skylark, which uses around 3,000 cat-eared robots to bring food to tables. At one the chain\u2019s Tokyo restaurants, 71-year-old Yasuko Tagawa estimated that half her job now involves some form of robotic assistance.<\/p>\n At one point, Tagawa told a robot, \u201cThanks for your hard work. I\u2019ll be counting on you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n