27 September 2023 , 10:59
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Tourists who head to a high-tech café in Tokyo, Japan, will be greeted by robot waiters and bartending staff - all of which are being controlled by humans back at home.
The Dawn Avatar Robot Café says that they hire "people with medical or physical limitations who cannot come into work but want to stay connected to society" to control the bots, with around 70 people piloting them at different points throughout the week. It's become a popular spot with tourists thanks to the friendly-looking, shiny white robots that whizz around the floor.
Much like a typical, human fronted restaurant, the robots at Dawn Avatar visit customers at their table to take their orders. If the punter seems in the mood, the robot may stop to exchange a few pleasantries. Rather than this being the result of a slightly alarming if not impressive leap in ChatGPT like technology, it is in fact human's speaking through the robot avatars which they are also controlling from a distance.
Some of them are physically unable to make it into or around the café to work in person, while others have demanding home lives or mental health conditions which prohibit them from doing so. Part of the robot crew don't work the tables but act as baristas and man the bar. A bot is on hand to greet customers at the entrance when they arrive, while another is there to recommend popular menu items. They are helped by on-site humans who assist customers in placing their orders and make their drinks.
On Wednesday's and Saturdays crowds tend to gather around one particular counter where a Nextage Tele-Barista robot - which doesn't speak to customers - takes over the coffee duties from its human colleagues. The project is a very personal one for company co-founder and CEO Kentaro Yoshifuji, who had the idea to design remote-controlled robot avatars after being bed-ridden with a serious illness for most of three years.
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Around 70 people work the robots from their homes (FRANCK ROBICHON/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)Not only does Dawn Avatar Robot Café provide people with the ability to make money and chat to strangers, the human workers can hop between robots depending on where they're needed. That means they are able to indulge in a little water-cooler chat with their colleagues at the back of the restaurant, providing a chance for them to build up longer-term relationships.
Many of the robo-waiters have screens on their fronts which display details of their human controllers. They also have microphones and cameras, so the interaction is similar to a typical café one. Travel content creator Maz Green recently visited the Dawn Avatar. "I interacted with so many of them. A robot greeted me at the entrance and explained how the cafe works, then I spoke to my robot waiter and with the mini robots by the bar," she told Mail Online.
"Because I can speak Japanese, I was able to learn about the lives of many of the pilots. It was fascinating to hear their stories and their appreciation for the job, which allows them to feel less isolated and more social during their week." Maz added that the robot-waiters were lovely, but would not be accepting any tips. She added: "In Japan, it's not the custom to tip. If you try, they'll deny it and sometimes even chase you out of the restaurant to return your money."