Online Talk featuring Ory Yoshifuji

Schedule

Solitude and bonding. We can change the world by making the impossible possible.
To have our own role and to continue to participate in society — this is the reason for our existence and the meaning of life that everyone wishes for. Ory Yoshifuji developed OriHime, an avatar robot, based on his own experience as a teenager to combat solitude as the theme of his life and developed a series of prototypes to meet the motivations of users. This has brought a social body and an opportunity to work in a cafe to ALS patients and people who have limited mobility. In this talk session, Ory Yoshifuji, who describes himself as a robot communicator rather than a researcher, and Nagahiro, who operates OriHime to work at the café, will talk about solitude, bonds, and how the world can be changed in this talk session.

Video

Speaker – Ory Yoshifuji (JP): Inventor/Robot Communicator Co-founder CEO, Ory Laboratories Inc. Born in 1987. While in high school he participated in the invention of an equalization mechanism for electric wheelchairs. Graduated from 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 where people can meet whoever they want, a future where everyone can participate in society from the comfort of their own bed. AVATAR ROBOT CAFE DAWN ver.β won the Entertainment Division’s Social Impact Award at the 24th Japan Media Art Festival.

Speaker – Masato Nagahiro(JP): OriHime pilot / Bedridden creator
Nagahiro has been a crew member from the first avatar robot cafe DAWN which opened temporarily in 2018 and now works for the new DAWN which became a permanent store. He was fond of drawing illustrations by using his fingers and chin. He met some people at the cafe who shared his interest and founded his own club. Based on his experiences, he developed a game which depicted the bond between a boy who is bedridden due to his disabilities and a girl android. It was instantly sold out at the Comiket event. This game is now available on STEAM, the world’s largest game distribution portal. His recent concern is that “Life is too short!”

Moderator – Maholo Uchida (JP) Curator, Exhibition Producer
Exhibition Supervisor, National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation
She has worked at the Miraikan National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation since 2002, where she specializes in the combined field of art, technology and design, and promotes art and science projects. She curated several exhibitions which bridge art and science, including a collaborative exhibition on symbols called “Geo-Cosmos” with domestic and global artists like Jeff Mills and Bjork. She is actively involved in introducing Japanese culture through technological innovation, robots and organizing permanent exhibits on robots and information.

Credits

Supported and organized by Ory Laboratory Inc.