This is pretty fascinating with profound implications down the road:
Developed by Ory, a startup that specializes in robotics for disabled people, the OriHime-D is a 4-foot tall robot that can be operated remotely from a paralyzed person’s home. Even if the operator only has control of their eyes, they can command OriHime-D to move, look around, speak with people, and handle objects... a staff of ten people, with conditions such as ALS or spinal cord injuries and working from home, are paid 1,000 yen (US$8.80) an hour (a standard wage for part-time work in Japan) to serve up coffee and interact with the clientele. But more importantly than money, these people are also given a newfound independence.
More here. It's partly inspired by Time of Eve, an anime which portrays robots and humans working alongside each other -- and the filmmakers collaborated on the project so that the robot server resembles the one in their movie. Video below:
Imagine a way to make the robots more engaging as avatars is to create a digital display on their "face" which depicts an animated character of the user's choice. (Something Jaron Lanier suggested in our interview last year.)
Hat tip: Cory at Boing Boing
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