In a fascinating combination of artificial intelligence and wellness, a café in Tokyo is trialing an AI customer service assistant that makes food and drink suggestions based on the diner’s face and voice to assess their mental and physical state.
The Wellness Lounge café, which opened May 19 at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp. (NTT East) in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, is currently a limited-use facility, open only to employees and members of select organizations, but they expect to open it to the public in the future.
How It Works
It is a simple but sophisticated process. Diners talk about their favorite foods into a camera-fed monitor that is AI-equipped, for 15 seconds. The AI system looks at the tone of voice and microexpressions, not the actual words, to assess the diner’s stress, fatigue, and emotional status.
For example, a customer who shows excitement when talking about curry and ramen may receive recommendations for decaf coffee and a mackerel sandwich with yogurt sauce and green potage soup, because these foods are reputed to calm one down and improve one’s health. The AI is looking to relax or revitalize the diner, depending on its assessment.
AI for Wellness, Not Just Taste
In a unique fusion of technology and wellness, a new AI system in Japan is offering personalized food and scent recommendations based on biometric and emotional cues rather than verbal preferences. Designed to help balance stress and fatigue, the AI analyzes a user’s physiological state to suggest meals and aromatherapy options.
Sandwich and soup sets are priced at 800 yen ($5.50), while full meals with customized caffeine-level coffee cost 1,100 yen. Developed through a collaboration between NTT East and NTT Data Japan Corp., the initiative also includes an AI-powered aromatherapy corner and is expected to be rolled out in corporate wellness programs and public health initiatives.
A Glimpse Into the Future of Health-Aware AI
This study demonstrates a larger trend of taking advantage of AI to augment mental and physical well-being. As more and more companies are putting greater emphasis on wellness programs, one day we may experience AI-fueled personalization in every aspect of our daily lives, such as health, nutrition, exercise, and even rest.
As our AI systems become effortlessly more advanced, tools like the ones we have at Wellness Lounge could one day serve as part of an office, hospital, or public place as a combination of accessibility, convenience, and care.
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