Many people are worried that, in the future, robots and machines will take their jobs. But this Japanese restaurant shows that robots can actually create more job opportunities.
Most people want to work. But for people who are severely disabled, this is often an impossible goal.
There is good news, however. For example, in America, more people with disabilities have jobs than ever before. And, as is so often the case, Japan has turned to technology to mobilize its willing yet disabled workforce. But how the Japanese have done it is crazy. First, something needs to be understood:
It may sound like a sci-fi concept, but it’s actually real: there are companies that are running cafes with robot waiters.
While it may sound weird to Americans, robot waiters are nothing new. In fact, as far back as 2014, China was opening restaurants with robot waiters.
But none of these restaurants have become huge hits. The novelty of having a robot waiter soon wears off, especially when almost every customer deems them to be “too incompetent,” to complete a basic order.
Japan may finally have cracked the code with these new robot waiters.
The robot waiters haven’t taken jobs that people can do. In fact, they’ve done the opposite and given them jobs.
Disabled people are controlling the robots.
An incredibly innovative startup in the Land of the Rising Sun, named Ory Lab, is behind these new creations. And the way that they’ve made them work is incredible.
The disabled people controlled the restaurant, named the Dawn Ver Beta Cafe, opened in December 2018 for two weeks. This pop-up saw people flock to be served by the human-controlled robots.
But how did it work?
10 paralyzed Japanese people were working in the cafe from their hospital beds. Their issues ranged from spinal cord injuries to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Thanks to computers mounted over their beds, they were able to control the robots. They didn’t need to physically touch anything! The computers tracked the eye movements of the people.
But what could they do?
In the case of the pop-up, the robot waiters were able to do basically anything that a normal waiter could do. They could pick up objects, move around the cafe and even talk with the customers!
And for the first time ever, customers were happy with robot waiters!
The pop-up restaurant was a huge success!
But what happens now?
Spurred by the success of the pop-up, Ory Lab is in the process of raising funds so that the cafe can become a permanent workplace.
The planned opening date for this new restaurant is 2020.
If the funds are raised and all goes smoothly, then this could be a revolution! Disabled people will be able to work a fulfilling job and earn a good income.
And the possibilities are endless.
Just think, one day, these disabled people controlled robots could be used in all kinds of jobs. There’s a strong opportunity for job roles that are dangerous for people to physically be in a location, such as deep sea fishing, oil rigging and even skyscraper constructing.
And the inspiration for creating robots that help the disabled work comes from personal experience.
The CEO and Representative Director of Ory Lab, Kentaro Oshio, had a difficult childhood due to illness.
“I was absent from school and junior high school for three and a half years, because I was under stress and home medicine. I could hardly go to school […] But in the world there are a lot of people who are fighting for a longer time, a heavier illness and loneliness than I am.”
This experience shaped the entire course of his life.
After recovering, he determined to spend his life creating solutions for disabled people.
These robots are the culmination of that goal. Who knows how many people he and his other co-founders could help?
Learn more in the video below.
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