Japanese Researchers Figured Out How To Let Paralyzed People Wait Tables

Updated September 8, 2021

The visions of robots we're most familiar with are, most likely, either the dumb kind that build cars or the malevolent kind we see terrorizing mankind in movies. Why is it that we see so few robots as actually being helpful or even mildly beneficial in some way?

I mean, that's what technology is for — making our lives easier and safer, and allowing us to do things we otherwise couldn't. Now that we’re finally catching up with science-fiction in many ways, it’s cool to see some advanced technology being leveraged to be even more helpful.

In Japan, a startup called Ory Lab is using robots to give people who are paralyzed or have other severe disabilities a bit more freedom.

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They’ve developed some robots called OriHime to staff a cafe they call Dawn Ver Beta.

The awesome twist to Dawn Ver Beta is that the robots are all controlled remotely by those bed-bound for medical reasons.

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The coffee shop was only open for two weeks on a trial basis — as the “beta” in the name suggests — but the results are pretty promising.

Over those two weeks, 10 people with conditions like ALS or spinal cord injuries staffed the cafe, serving customers via the robots.

YouTube | The Nippon Foundation

They can interact with the robots using eye movements, picking up objects and even talking with customers. They earned about $9 an hour as they guided the robots around the cafe and served people.

The whole goal is to provide another avenue for people who can’t move to do work.

Facebook | Ory Laboratory

Accessibility tech has been a passion of his for a long time, having invented an electric wheelchair when he was in high school. He’s driven by his own experiences of having to miss school for medical reasons.