Here’s my article for Tokyo Weekender, featuring Avatar Robot Cafe Dawn.
At this café, people living with ALS and other severe disabilities—many of whom can’t easily leave their homes—work as remote “pilots,” operating OriHime and OriHime-D robot avatars to greet guests and serve food. Talking with the staff is genuinely moving. Even while navigating tough circumstances, they speak so brightly about their hopes for the future and how much they enjoy being able to work. You leave not only with a good meal, but with something warm and meaningful to carry home with you.
