Avatar-Technologies for an Inclusive Society
Celia Spoden, Science and Technology Studies
The purpose of this study is to analyze the opportunities and risks
that robotics and avatar technologies present to society in generaland to vulnerable populations such as people with disabilities andillnesses in particular. We investigate what these technologies
mean for self-actualization, diversity, social participation, andhuman-machine interaction. In addition, we examine whether
these technologies offer new opportunities for social inclusivenessor whether they contain risks of exclusion.

1,3
Telepresence Robots at SchoolTelepresence robots, created as avatars for children who arehousebound, have come into use in schools in Japan and Germany
in recent years. In our qualitative study, we compare the Japanesecase of the avatar-robot OriHime of Ory Laboratory with the usageof AV1 in German schools, a similar avatar-robot developed by theNorwegian start-up No-Isolation.

1,2,3Avatars at WorkThe Ory Laboratory by Yoshifuji Kentarō has developed the avatar
technology OriHime and aims to create new forms of social
participation by offering new possibilities in mobility,communication, and social roles. Through the OriHime avatar
technology, housebound people are enabled to virtually leave thehouse and participate in cultural events, sports, or the labormarket. By the end of 2022 there were about 70 OriHime pilots
working via the remotely controlled avatars in places such as theDAWN Avatar Robot Café, Mosburger, or the City Hall of Fukuoka.
In our qualitative study we conduct semi-structured interviews with
OriHime pilots and explore their perception of social participation,work, disability, body, and space. First findings show that the robot
opens up new opportunities for social participation, leads to afeeling of independence and belonging, and helps to regain oradopt a positive attitude towards life and the own future.

AV1 at school. © Estera K. Johnsrud
Compared to other virtual-meeting technologies such as Zoom,
both avatar-robots offer an opportunity for embodiment and turnthe classroom into a cyber-physical space. There, the avatar-pilot
possesses a cyber-physical presence with abilities such as moving
the head, focused interaction and expressing gestures or emotions.
The main aim of the developers is to enable children, who cannot
attend school due to an illness and their disabilities or extended
hospital stays, to stay socially connected, restore normality, andprevent social isolation.
Although both robots were developed with similar aims, there areseveral differences. This includes different types ofimplementations, the involvement of diverse stakeholders, distinct
modes of financing the avatar, and developing discrete
infrastructures for a continuous usage. Furthermore, implementing
the avatar at school involves negotiating understandings of privacy
and data protection grounded in ethical values and legal norms. A
comparison of both avatars also shows how these different
sociocultural values and legal requirements shaped the technicalfunctions of the two robots.

In Cooperation with1Arisa Ema, University of Tokyo, Institute for Future Initiatives
2Giulia

DesignBarbareschi, Keio University Graduate School of Media

3JST Moonshot R&D Program “Cybernetic Avatar Technology andOriHime at DAWN Avatar Robot Café. © Celia Spoden

Social System Design for Harmonious Co-experience and Collective
Ability” Project
More about this project