Avatar Robots
OriHime is a new type of robot. The robot functions as an avatar/for people in remote places. If they use OriHime,/they can talk with other people/near the robot. Users can also express various feelings/by controlling the robot’s head and hands freely.
OriHime is 23 centimeters tall/and has a camera,/a microphone,/and a speaker inside. It can be controlled/with a computer/through the Internet. Even physically disabled people/can control the robot/with a special eye tracking system.
OriHime was developed for people/who cannot be in a certain place/for various reasons. It can be seen in classrooms,/business meetings,/family events,/and many other situations.
OriHime was created by Yoshifuji Kentaro. The idea for OriHime/came from his own experience.
When Yoshifuji was young,/he was not able to go to school/for three and a half years. He wanted to attend classes,/but he could not. He was extremely lonely. He thought,/“If I had an avatar,/I could be with my classmates/without going to school.” During this period,/he became interested in designing robots.
Yoshifuji entered an engineering high school. When he was 18,/he took part in an engineering contest/in the US. He met various people there/and found his goal:/to help people/who cannot communicate with others easily. That is/why he calls himself/a “robot communicator”,/not a “robot engineer.”
Even after Yoshifuji successfully created OriHime,/he was never satisfied. He thought,/“I wish/OriHime could help more people.” So he started/to develop OriHime-D. It basically has the same functions/as OriHime. However,/it can move around/and carry things,/and it is about 120 centimeters tall.
In 2018,/OriHime-D was used/in a robot café in Tokyo/for the first time. The robots were controlled by people/with physical disabilities/in remote places. Through OriHime-D,/they carried drinks/and communicated with the customers.
Using the robots,/people with physical disabilities/felt the joy of working. In other words,/they were able to feel/that they participated in society.
OriHime is useful/not only for people/with physical disabilities. It is also helpful for those/who have other difficulties.
For example,/some workers need to stay home. They have to take care of young children/or elderly family members. Using OriHime,/the workers can talk with their coworkers/as if they were in the same workplace. Also,/OriHime helps some students/who cannot attend school/for a variety of reasons. Using the robot,/they can spend time with their friends/as if they were together. This is exactly what Yoshifuji wanted/when he was young.
Thanks to OriHime,/people can “be” in places/where they could not be before. Yoshifuji’s robots are changing many people’s lives/and giving them hopes for the future.
OriHime is a new type of robot. The robot functions as an avatar/for people in remote places. If they use OriHime,/they can talk with other people/near the robot. Users can also express various feelings/by controlling the robot’s head and hands freely.
OriHime is 23 centimeters tall/and has a camera,/a microphone,/and a speaker inside. It can be controlled/with a computer/through the Internet. Even physically disabled people/can control the robot/with a special eye tracking system.
OriHime was developed for people/who cannot be in a certain place/for various reasons. It can be seen in classrooms,/business meetings,/family events,/and many other situations.
OriHime was created by Yoshifuji Kentaro. The idea for OriHime/came from his own experience.
When Yoshifuji was young,/he was not able to go to school/for three and a half years. He wanted to attend classes,/but he could not. He was extremely lonely. He thought,/“If I had an avatar,/I could be with my classmates/without going to school.” During this period,/he became interested in designing robots.
Yoshifuji entered an engineering high school. When he was 18,/he took part in an engineering contest/in the US. He met various people there/and found his goal:/to help people/who cannot communicate with others easily. That is/why he calls himself/a “robot communicator”,/not a “robot engineer.”
Even after Yoshifuji successfully created OriHime,/he was never satisfied. He thought,/“I wish/OriHime could help more people.” So he started/to develop OriHime-D. It basically has the same functions/as OriHime. However,/it can move around/and carry things,/and it is about 120 centimeters tall.
In 2018,/OriHime-D was used/in a robot café in Tokyo/for the first time. The robots were controlled by people/with physical disabilities/in remote places. Through OriHime-D,/they carried drinks/and communicated with the customers.
Using the robots,/people with physical disabilities/felt the joy of working. In other words,/they were able to feel/that they participated in society.
OriHime is useful/not only for people/with physical disabilities. It is also helpful for those/who have other difficulties.
For example,/some workers need to stay home. They have to take care of young children/or elderly family members. Using OriHime,/the workers can talk with their coworkers/as if they were in the same workplace. Also,/OriHime helps some students/who cannot attend school/for a variety of reasons. Using the robot,/they can spend time with their friends/as if they were together. This is exactly what Yoshifuji wanted/when he was young.
Thanks to OriHime,/people can “be” in places/where they could not be before. Yoshifuji’s robots are changing many people’s lives/and giving them hopes for the future.