CHAPTER 4 通読用英文
OriHime ─ A Vehicle of Your Heart
1
What is the white figure in the picture below? Of course, it’s a robot. It can talk to us, but it does not use AI. This robot is called “OriHime.” As you may know, the name appears in the story of tanabata, or the Star Festival.
In his youth, Yoshifuji Kentaro became ill and was unable to attend school for long periods. He felt lonely because he had no friends to share his feelings with. He had no sense of belonging, and he wasn’t able to establish and maintain relationships, either. This experience led Yoshifuji to create OriHime, a genderless robot that enables people in difficult situations to connect with others.
2
People feel lonely for many reasons: for example, their pet dies, or they move to a new city, or their dreams are dashed. To overcome loneliness, they need connections and a sense of belonging. However, there are times when they feel lonely because they are unable to meet people for physical or psychological reasons.
Think of a boy of your age who has a serious illness and is confined to a bed in the hospital. He wants to study in school, as well as play, talk, and express emotions with his friends. He is alone most of the day, but he has a dream: to do something that helps people like him feel happier by making them feel that they are useful and important. The hospital is near his school, but he cannot go there even though he wants to. Imagine how lonely he must be.
Now look at “OriHime in use” on the next page. The boy mentioned above is using OriHime from his hospital bed and there is another OriHime in a classroom. The boy is not in the classroom, but OriHime allows him to be there. The robot is an extension of himself. Through OriHime, he can talk and experience joy and sadness with his classmates. He is a member of the class.
3
You may wonder if OriHime can laugh or feel sad. Its face is blank with colorless eyes, but you can feel its emotions by looking at its face. Yoshifuji says, “The robot’s face resembles a noh mask. A noh mask itself does not show any expressions, but the audience perceives them by the movements of the head. In the same way, people can feel emotions from the face of OriHime, because it is an extension of the person who’s using it.”
Thanks to online communication, we can now talk to people anywhere at any time. However, Yoshifuji points out that “sharing a physical place” is missing from modern technology. When you share a place, you don’t have to talk all the time. You can be quiet and think about things. You can do things together without talking. Most importantly, you share a sense of being together. OriHime is more than a robot. It’s a “vehicle” that can transport your heart anywhere you like and let you share a place with others.
4
One of the most important people in Yoshifuji’s life was Banda Yuta. Banda was badly injured in a traffic accident when he was four and had been in the hospital ever since then. When he read the news about Yoshifuji’s projects, Banda contacted him through social media. Yoshifuji decided to visit Banda in Morioka. The first time they met, they immediately clicked. Banda became Yoshifuji’s best friend and a co-developer of OriHime. Banda made a number of useful suggestions on how to make OriHime more functional.
OriHime’s quality improvement projects were going well. One day, however, Yoshifuji received the heartbreaking news — Banda had passed away. This was a severe blow for Yoshifuji, because Banda had been a dear friend and a valuable source of inspiration.
Yoshifuji did not stop their projects. He continues to try to figure out how to help lonely people feel happier. Every time he faces a difficult situation, he remembers Banda’s words: “Even if you can’t move your body, your mind is still free. As long as your mind is free, you can do whatever you want and go wherever you want.”
1
What is the white figure in the picture below? Of course, it’s a robot. It can talk to us, but it does not use AI. This robot is called “OriHime.” As you may know, the name appears in the story of tanabata, or the Star Festival.
In his youth, Yoshifuji Kentaro became ill and was unable to attend school for long periods. He felt lonely because he had no friends to share his feelings with. He had no sense of belonging, and he wasn’t able to establish and maintain relationships, either. This experience led Yoshifuji to create OriHime, a genderless robot that enables people in difficult situations to connect with others.
2
People feel lonely for many reasons: for example, their pet dies, or they move to a new city, or their dreams are dashed. To overcome loneliness, they need connections and a sense of belonging. However, there are times when they feel lonely because they are unable to meet people for physical or psychological reasons.
Think of a boy of your age who has a serious illness and is confined to a bed in the hospital. He wants to study in school, as well as play, talk, and express emotions with his friends. He is alone most of the day, but he has a dream: to do something that helps people like him feel happier by making them feel that they are useful and important. The hospital is near his school, but he cannot go there even though he wants to. Imagine how lonely he must be.
Now look at “OriHime in use” on the next page. The boy mentioned above is using OriHime from his hospital bed and there is another OriHime in a classroom. The boy is not in the classroom, but OriHime allows him to be there. The robot is an extension of himself. Through OriHime, he can talk and experience joy and sadness with his classmates. He is a member of the class.
3
You may wonder if OriHime can laugh or feel sad. Its face is blank with colorless eyes, but you can feel its emotions by looking at its face. Yoshifuji says, “The robot’s face resembles a noh mask. A noh mask itself does not show any expressions, but the audience perceives them by the movements of the head. In the same way, people can feel emotions from the face of OriHime, because it is an extension of the person who’s using it.”
Thanks to online communication, we can now talk to people anywhere at any time. However, Yoshifuji points out that “sharing a physical place” is missing from modern technology. When you share a place, you don’t have to talk all the time. You can be quiet and think about things. You can do things together without talking. Most importantly, you share a sense of being together. OriHime is more than a robot. It’s a “vehicle” that can transport your heart anywhere you like and let you share a place with others.
4
One of the most important people in Yoshifuji’s life was Banda Yuta. Banda was badly injured in a traffic accident when he was four and had been in the hospital ever since then. When he read the news about Yoshifuji’s projects, Banda contacted him through social media. Yoshifuji decided to visit Banda in Morioka. The first time they met, they immediately clicked. Banda became Yoshifuji’s best friend and a co-developer of OriHime. Banda made a number of useful suggestions on how to make OriHime more functional.
OriHime’s quality improvement projects were going well. One day, however, Yoshifuji received the heartbreaking news — Banda had passed away. This was a severe blow for Yoshifuji, because Banda had been a dear friend and a valuable source of inspiration.
Yoshifuji did not stop their projects. He continues to try to figure out how to help lonely people feel happier. Every time he faces a difficult situation, he remembers Banda’s words: “Even if you can’t move your body, your mind is still free. As long as your mind is free, you can do whatever you want and go wherever you want.”
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