A cafe where people who are unable to go out due to disabilities or intractable illnesses can work by remotely controlling ''alter ego robots'' will be open until December 20, 2023 at the exchange facility ''Question'' in Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City.
At an event aimed at expanding employment opportunities for people with mobility difficulties, workers delivered food and chatted with customers using robot clones.
The event was sponsored by the robot development company Ory Research Institute (Tokyo) and sponsored by the Kyoto Shinkin Bank.
There are two types of robot clones: the small ''OriHime,'' which serves customers at their seats, and the humanoid ''OriHime-D,'' which carries food and drinks.
A remote-controlled ''pilot'' can take orders and speak through a camera attached to the robot and a microphone.
In 2021, they opened a permanent experimental cafe in Tokyo, and have also held limited-time cafes in Fukuoka and Hiroshima.
In Kyoto, about 40 pilots will be working from their homes or hospitals. The robot remotely controlled the tablet on the table to display the menu and self-introduction screen, and enjoyed conversing with customers by moving the robot's neck and hands.
Chifuyu Yoneshige (45 years old, Adachi Ward, Tokyo), who suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, said, ''If I can't go out, I feel disconnected from society. I hope it spreads," he said.
