While Mexican immigrants are piling into all parts of the USA, Japan has decided to go in a different direction.

While immigrants seem necessary to keep the U.S. economy going, the Japanese have opted against diversity. Instead of bringing in large numbers of Koreans, Filipinos and Chinese to do their lower level jobs, the cunning folks in Tokyo have decided to go with robots instead.

Robots have many advantages over immigrants. Robots don't create diversity problems. They work long hours and never complain. If robots catch on in the same way in the U.S., problems with immigrant health care costs would disappear. Your tax money would not be spent on building 700-mile-long walls. Retirement would mean the scrap yard, not Social Security.

Instead of importing childcare workers, the Japanese are currently testing a childcare robot to work in nursery schools. The robot will allow parents to watch and talk with their children using net-linked videos from work. Programmed with recognition imaging technology, the little robots will be able warn children in the event their space is invaded by strangers. Put a robot nanny in the house and you can avoid reading those boring bedtime stories. Depending on programming, you can own a "positive reinforcement" robot, or one that gives out an occasional spanking or two. Just think of a future without two o'clock feedings and dirty diapers.

But the Japanese robots go far beyond the world of childcare.

To replace service workers, the clever folks in Japan have invented a robot on wheels called "Ubiko," which looks like a 44-inch tall mechanical cat. Actually, a lovable cartoon of a cat. The cute little robot works as a receptionist and guide in hospitals, replacing costly human workers. Ubiko can greet people, give directions, guide visitors throughout the hospital, and can even pass out food or gifts.

Ubiko is pretty expensive, currently costing about $255,000 per cat. So it's not exactly a stocking stuffer. (But it might appear in the Nieman Marcus catalog before too long.) While not a consumer item, three Ubikos were recently sold to a hospital to replace receptionists and guides. While $255,000 may seem expensive to replace a receptionist, the math does work out.

A hospital is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year operation which requires three shifts of workers. One job times three shifts will demand 8,760 hours of labor per year. If salary and benefits come to $15 an hour, the cost of that one job will come to $131,400 a year. Buy a $255,000 robot and you're ahead of the game in less than two years. After two years, it's all cost savings which flow directly down to the bottom line.

Like computers and plasma TVs, the robot learning curve will drive prices down so far that you may become the first one on your block to own a Ubiko. What a potential status symbol a mechanical kittycat would be.

And one that cleans, washes and irons, but needs no litter box.

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