Woman With Disability Uses Innovative Robot To Work As A Waitress

If you watched several Nickelodeon shows for teens, you saw robot waiters in most kids’ hangout spots. A restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, uses robots as wait staff, but with a twist. Their robots are not autonomous, and each has a human “pilot.” When you visit Dawn Avatar Robot Cafe, you will have a robot waitress under the control of a disabled remote worker.

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The French-speaking robot waitress explained to a tourist that she was homebound. The unique restaurant offers disabled workers a chance to earn a paycheck regardless of their physical abilities.

Although some robotic advances can be scary, this one benefits the robot waitress and customers. On Nickelodeon, the robots were not very good at getting orders correct. Their “customer service” voice lacked personality, compassion, and understanding. The remotely controlled robot wait staff lets customers connect directly with a live “pilot.” This leads to a better dining experience.

Customers experience a unique and innovative taste of future technology. The disabled workers using the robots as waiters or waitresses gain independence they would not usually have. The arrangement builds self-confidence and self-esteem for disabled workers. Being able to maintain employment is an essential step toward independence.

The cafe, owned by Ory Laboratory, opened in 2021. The robots, named OriHime, can be controlled using a tablet or smartphone. A robot waitress can see and talk with customers while working from home. The Dawn Avatar Robot Cafe currently employs over 60 people with physical disabilities.

Hospitalized or homebound students can use the interactive robots to attend classes. Remote workers use the robots while remaining home to attend to children or other family members. The potential uses are endless.

Please share if you like the innovation of this robot waitress.

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