06/10/2025
There's a Cafe in Tokyo that looks sci-fi at first, with robots that glide over to your table to serve you, but they're not AI. They’re driven in real time by people who can’t easily leave home: “pilots” who are paralyzed or housebound, controlling the bots with a mouse, tablet, or in some cases, eye-tracking. You place an order, you hear their voice through the robot, you chat. It’s a normal cafe shift, it's just done through a body on wheels.
Pilots earn regular cafe wages, build skills, and get real social connection.
