In the business district of Tokyo’s Nihonbashi, groups of tourists are on guided tours of the area. But rather than being accompanied by a person, they’re being shown around by a shoulder-mounted robot.
If all goes well, these bilingual human-controlled robots, conversant in English and Japanese, could become a common sight in the capital.
Created by robotics company OryLab, OriHime is a white robot with green eyes, weighing 4 kilograms. Equipped with a camera, speaker and microphone, the robot twitches its wing-like arms, which it can fold together as if in prayer when visiting a temple. The robot is on a stand attached to a backpack that positions it to rest on the wearer’s shoulder, allowing the two to better talk to each other.
Robot tour guides in Tokyo offer way for those with disabilities to work
