Robots that do housework, early earthquake warnings

By 2015, robots will do most household chores, and by 2025, seismologists will be able to detect huge earthquakes before they strike, according to predictions made by leading experts and scientists in Japan.

About 4200 scientists, university professors, engineers and researchers were asked by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry to make predictions about what new technologies might be invented within 30 years.

According to the answers, most of the experts said that between 2011 and 2015, every household would have a robot doing chores such as cleaning and laundering. And between 2016 and 2025, they predicted technology would forecast earthquakes stronger than magnitude 7.