Avatar Robot Cafe is a social implementation project to enhance employment of people with disabilities by using “OriHime,” an avatar robot that can be operated by people who are bedridden or have limited mobility. The robot is designed to accommodate a wide range of physical disabilities, including eye input, pc and smartphone input, and is easy to operate. With corporate sponsorships and crowdfunding, a temporary store opened in Tokyo in 2018. In June 2021, a permanent experimental store “DAWN” opened in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. The employment rate for people with disabilities in Japan is about 5%, and the people concerned have given up on finding employment in companies. While there are high expectations for robots to solve the labor shortage, we are presenting questions and solutions for a society where employment of the disabled is not enough. Join us at the demonstration booth at Ars Electronica Festival and find out more about the café.
Avatar Robot Cafe Dawn ver. β won the Social Impact Award in the Entertainment Division of the 24th Japan Media Arts Festival.
Born in 1987. While in high school he participated in the invention of an equalization mechanism for electric wheelchairs. He graduated from the School of Creative Science and Engineering at Waseda University, where he developed OriHime, an avatar communication robot to combat loneliness. In the same year, he was awarded the Human Power Awards (now the TOYP Award), and in 2016, he was selected as one of the “30 Under 30 Asia” by Forbes magazine. Based on his own experience of not attending school, he aims to develop a future in which people can meet whomever they want, a future in which everyone can participate in society from the comfort of their own bed.
Credits
AVATAR ROBOT CAFE DAWN ver.β
Ory Laboratory Inc.
Garden TOKYO by Japan Media Arts Festival
Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan
