Japan Attempts to Spark Baby Boom... with Robot Babies?

What?!? I have no words for this...

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"Graduate students in Japan are hoping an innovative new invention will help solve the country's fertility crisis. Meet Yotaro. He's a robot designed to give people the joys of parenting, without all the mess. And just a like a real baby, he reacts to stimuli, giggling and crying. The baby's reactions are projected onto a silicon balloon, which serves as his face. The students who invented the robot are hoping he will motivate young people to have children. Right now, Japan's birth rate is among the lowest in the world and could cause serious economic problems in the next decade." - MSNBC

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to start your families.”

My mother sent me this column about the curent birthrate in America and its implications on family and culture. It is good. The article also refers to a book called "Start Your Family," which I haven't read.
http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=11160

Children give us a chance to see the world through fresh eyes. We rediscover the delight of a winter snowfall, spring blossoms, the wonder of a bulldozer and a ballerina.
But children also bring us happiness in a way our culture no longer understands. The ancient concept of happiness, which Aristotle termed eudaimonia, meant “an activity of the soul expressing virtue.” Having children is an opportunity for us to learn selflessness, to serve others, and sometimes to see our sinfulness on display in a way that makes us want to change.