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Tokyo robot cafe offers new spin on disability inclusion

11 Comments
By Shingo ITO

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11 Comments
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I wonder how come that Japan with its carefully crafted for many years image of a leader in robotics failed to employ this expertise tackling pandemic crisis - in a way advanced technology would make a difference.

This cafe with robots is nice, right. But overworked nurses and doctors need robots more to help them with menial tasks. Urgently. Like now, when thousands are waiting to be hospitalized. They could not care less about stupid use of (very) expensive technology for entertainment. Use them at obsolete healthcare institutions!

7 ( +10 / -3 )

@genkigaijingirl

One of the biggest problems here is the huge amount of paperwork, reports, more paperwork and reporting of reports of reports. And the robots can't handle that yet in the form that they're clinging to here.

The medical staff here is at the edge of their strength not because they have a lot of work per se, but because of the paperwork around it. Even something as basic as giving a patient an infusion means not just a simple entry in the medical record, but carries with it additional paperwork.

And as far as current vaccinations go, many people can't imagine how much paperwork is "required" to vaccinate one person here.

A robot could do it, maybe it wouldn't even be needed, and it would be enough to just have the records in electronic form... But that's an almost impossible problem to overcome here.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

This is pretty cool, but stories like this always give the wrong impression of Japan as the most high tech, caring place on earth. My friends back home still think I'm joking about the fax machines and the ijime!

4 ( +5 / -1 )

This is an excellent idea. Great way for disabled people to join the workforce.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

@genkigaijingirl I guess the government, the medical community and the robotics industry have to a meeting of the minds conference to bring that about.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Hankobot, now theres a good idea. it can travel around an office all day and all night stamping bit of usless paper.

shredderbot, now theres a good idea, it can follow hankobot around shreding uslesss bits of paper.

packerbot, now theres a good idea, it can collect all of the shreadered paper from shrederbot and take it to the packaging dept ready for packing goods that need posting.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@genkigaijingirl I couldn't agree more! The technology exists, and so does the need. But it seems it's still being predominantly used in non-essential areas as a 'novelty'. The idea with this restaurant is good, but there should be so much more potential for this kind of technology - now more than ever before!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Those robot look ugly can you make them not look like the alien greys

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Cute robot.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Fun for the kids to watch at an amusement place, but NOT in a place of food crying out loud!!?

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

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