GabyIt seems that in the land of the rising sun, the future arrives faster than in other countries around the world: Japanese developers of the MaSiRo project have presented their new invention: inspired by watching anime, they have created three robots for customer service in cafes.
The oldest in the MaSiRo family.
The first robot participating in this project was created back in 2019: the robotic anime girl was named MaSiRo. Funding project MaSiRo The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan provided the information. The development team was tasked with creating a concept for a café with robot waiters, where guests could interact with them.
Video:MaSiRo Project
At first, MaSiRo could only follow a person by holding their hand, but over the years, developers “taught” her to serve food and drinks, as well as to move autonomously. MaSiRo is dressed in a maid’s uniform, in which she performs the functions of a head waitress. The robotic girl is equipped with facial recognition capabilities through a built-in camera located on her elegant headband. The mechanical waitress can move her neck, nodding at guests, and look at them with eyes that are represented by liquid crystal displays.
In the right arm of the robot girl, there is a built-in portable heater designed to warm the hands of visitors in cold weather. Additionally, with her right hand, MaSiRo guides guests to available tables. She can wave goodbye to customers and pose for photos. Furthermore, MaSiRo performs the main function of a waitress – taking orders using a QR code that visitors receive upon entry.
Younger sisters of MaSiRo
MaSiRo has two younger assistants, developed by the project authors a bit later – the sisters CiRo and CiYa, who entertain customers while they wait for their orders. The anime twins can also recognize faces, hold customers’ hands, and guide them to free seats. Unlike their older sister, the built-in cameras are not located on the head but in the robots’ ears: according to the developers, this will allow for a wider variety of hairstyles, accessories, and decorations to create diverse waitress looks.
Will there be a machine uprising?
The multi-part saga about the Terminator with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead role has conditioned us to think that a machine uprising is just a matter of time 🙂 For example, developers are already they created a robot Similar to the “liquid” Terminator T-1000 from the aforementioned sci-fi film, it can change its state of matter – being solid, transforming into liquid, and then returning to its original form! The MaSiRo team does not share these concerns: the company’s robots are equipped with an emergency shutdown button designed to prevent MaSiRo from going out of control.
Work in every family!
The developers say that having anime robots serve customers in cafes is just the first stage of the project: its creators dream of a world where every household has its own maid robot. Moreover, the MaSiRo team is actively working on “teaching” the girl robots to talk: the current level of technology does not yet allow for a full conversation with MaSiRo and her sisters.
Appearance = practicality + anime culture
The robots are small in stature and closely resemble children: the developers say this was done intentionally, as the taller a robot becomes, the higher its center of gravity shifts, increasing the risk of falling. Additionally, a larger robot makes transportation more difficult.
When it comes to anime, what else can we expect from the Japanese, who are in love with this style? 🙂 In the country, the annual turnover of the anime industry exceeds 20 billion dollars – this includes not only animation but also video games, merchandise, and more. However, when developments emerge that allow robots to help people with everyday tasks in their homes, I will choose a robotic housekeeper with a completely different appearance. What kind? That’s a secret! 🙂
