Human-operated Tokyo robot venture allows housebound people to work

As a lonely, bedridden child, Ory Yoshifuji wanted nothing more than a second body he could use to attend school and see his friends.

For three and a half years, sickness forced Ory to stay at home, his bedroom becoming his prison.

"All I could do was stare at the ceiling day after day. The stress of loneliness at that time became so unbearable," he says.

"I might have been able to attend school with the other body."

Years later — after studying robotics at university — he turned his dream into a reality by opening Dawn Avatar Robot Cafe in Tokyo, where cute robot avatars welcome and entertain guests, as well as serve drinks and food.

But unlike the competition, these robots are not powered through artificial intelligence.

Instead, they are operated by real people, housebound and disabled, just like Ory was.

"We've managed to create a situation where people, even if they can't physically move around much, can still participate as members of society and as productive members of the workforce," Ory says.

'A role in society'

The robot cafe has been a hit, growing from about 10 to 100 robot operators, known as pilots.

Each pilot moves the robot through a specialised program on their home computer, and can see and speak to guests.

The project has now begun a new venture, tapping into Tokyo's tourism boom.

Instead of just serving guests at the cafe, customers can also carry a robot on their back for a personalised tour of the local area.

Ory says the idea came after many of the robot pilots joked about escaping the cafe.

"[The robots] approach the automatic doors, head outside, and the wi-fi signal would cut out," he says.

"They'd often play around like that as a joke.

"But, of course, they actually wanted to go outside too."

One pilot is Machun, who has multiple sclerosis.

She lost her job at a banking think tank when her condition worsened after contracting COVID.

"I couldn't stay awake," she says.

"I used to be able to walk, but [then] I couldn't do that either."

For her, working as a robot pilot has given her a second life. Her mental health has flourished, she adds.

"Someone who could barely sit for an hour can now work six or seven hours a day with breaks," she says.

"I now feel like I have a role in society. I really feel that."

It is not just the pilots who enjoy the new-found freedom, but the tourists too.

"What I loved about having our tour guide right on our shoulder is I feel like it was really flexible," Canadian tourist Andrea Wheaton says.

"Especially with having young kids."

Her husband, Dave Schultz, enjoyed the human aspect.

"You can hear the warmth through their voice and some giggles on their end," he says.

'Working while teleporting'

The rise of artificial intelligence and robotics has sparked debate about how such technology may destroy jobs and lead to fewer connections between people.

Ory is proud that his technology is doing the opposite.

"This also means we are creating a society where no-one is needed."

He hopes to expand the robot tour guides to cover more areas of Tokyo.

But one of the biggest challenges is that crowded hotspots can have patchy internet, which can disrupt the robot's connection to the pilot.

"I hope we can create this way of working in other locations, or even beyond Japan," Orly says.

"It enables working while teleporting."

And that, he adds, will help create a "society without loneliness".