Researchers are working on a robot they hope will be smart enough by 2021 to ace entrance exams at the nation's top university, which tests everything from math to foreign languages.

The robot's artificial brain would analyze a mash of words, numbers and equations before spitting out the — hopefully — correct answer to the exam at the University of Tokyo, or Todai.

"It has to analyze the exam questions and convert formulations and equations to a form that it can process before solving it through computer algebra," said Hidenao Iwane from Fujitsu Laboratories. The goal is to develop technology to "enable anyone to easily use sophisticated mathematical analysis tools," he said.