A café of Japan call Dawn Avatar Robot Cafeproposes a revolutionary idea: use robot waiters controlled by voice or eyes people with paralysisthat get full salary of a waiter.
We are used to seeing how robots start to replace humans in some jobs, and that causes concern in many people. But the robots It can also be used for just the opposite: offer a job to people who cannot work.
The proposal of the Japanese start-up orylabin collaboration with the Dawn cafeteria, reveals an unexplored world for People with disabilities.
When a person is completely paralyzed, and can only move eyesThe difficulties are enormous. He can still do intellectual work and become the most respected scientist in the world, like the much-revered Stephen Hawking was. But it is limited in the physical aspect.
The idea of orylab is revolutionary: why not use robots as avatars that represent people with disabilities, who use them to do a joband so earn a salary?
The cafeteria with robots controlled by people with disabilities
Ory Lab has developed a robot called orihime, available in two versions. One is the size of a doll, and is a personal avatarwhich belongs to the Person with Disability. uses it to talkif she can’t do it, or for expressing gestures of surprise or joyusing the robot’s arms and head.
The other version has a size of just over a meter, and moves autonomously. is the one will go to work. Here you can see both versions:
In 2019, Ory Lab reached an agreement with the Dawn coffee shop in Tokyo, to use waiter robots that can Prepare coffeeand take it to the tables.
These robots were controlled by 10 people with different degrees of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and other disabilities. Some could only move their heads or eyes.
Using only their eyesight, they could take the robot to a point in the cafeteria, and give it orders such as taking the glasses or serving the coffee.
Even more important to them: they could speak with the customers, pick up the order and chat with them. Is social interaction is an enormous incentive and enhances the self-esteem and health of these people who, due to their condition, you often feel isolated.
In exchange for their work and interaction with customers, the cafeteria paid them the full salary of waiter. You can see it in the opening video of the news.
The experiment was a success, and Dawn has been using these for almost four years now. robot waiter controlled by People with disabilities. For now it is little more than a socio-labour experiment, but perhaps we are witnessing the birth of a new relationship: the robot avatars that helped to get a job at people with paralysis.