Japanese cafe found a way to hire paralyzed people as waiters

Robot waiters are not new in the modern world. They are already being used in several cafes around the world. For example, at the Naulo restaurant in Nepal, there are three humanoids named Ginger. However, Japanese startup Orly Lab has taken this concept to a new level.

This month, a unique Dawn Ver Beta cafe opened in Tokyo for two weeks, in which visitors were exclusively served by Orly Lab robots. And the most surprising thing in this institution was that all the robots were under the remote control of people with disabilities. The goal of such an initiative is to help people with disabilities gain more independence in life.

Dawn Ver Beta employed 10 people, among whom were people suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other spinal cord injuries. They controlled robots called OriHime-D directly from their homes and received a salary of $ 9 per hour.

Robots can be controlled using a computer that tracks the movement of the eyes of people bedridden. This allows people to move robots, force them to collect objects and even communicate with guests of the institution.

"I want to create a world in which people who cannot move can also work."- said the CEO of Ory Lab. Inc. Kentaro Yoshifuji.

As the name implies, the cafe was in beta testing for only a couple of weeks. Now the creators are raising funds to open this institution on an ongoing basis since 2020.