When it comes to ingenious use of technology, there’s no beating the Japanese. They have been known to invent different gadgets for the smallest and easiest day-to-day tasks that might not seem like a big deal but still provide convenience to the user. Technology has played a big role in making life easier in Japan and these humanoid robots in Tokyo’s latest café are another example of that.
The Dawn Avatar Robot Café, established in Nihonbashi, Tokyo uses robots as waiters to serve the customers. Now you might be thinking that the people would lose their jobs to these robots but the story behind these robot servers is a heart-touching one. The robots are actually controlled by real people especially disabled workers who cannot leave their homes due to some physical restriction, seniors who can’t work for long hours and even single parents who need childcare support at home. The café is the brainchild of Ory Laboratory Inc, a Japanese robotics company that aims to create a society accessible to all. Co-founder and CEO of the company, Kentaro Yoshifuji thought of designing the remote-controlled robots after he was bed-ridden for three years himself. The idea behind these robots is to bridge the gap between disabled people and society by creating more job opportunities for them where they can easily take part at their own pace.
All the robots are equipped with a camera, microphone and speaker which allows the person controlling them to easily communicate with the customers, take their orders and serve them the right dish. They are remotely operated via the internet using eye movements and gestures and have become sort of like an avatar for the workers using them.
The idea of a robot server during the pandemic is also a great initiative to minimize human contact and ensure a safe and clean customer experience. This would surely provide more opportunities for people to work from home.