Akihabara maid cafe to use "Pixie Dust" to talk to foreign customers

Two maids standing in front of a screen showing an English translation of a Japanese phrase

At-Home Cafe, a veteran of the Akihabara maid café scene, is embracing cutting-edge technology to assist foreign visitors.

The cafe will be bridging linguistic gaps between staff and customers with the help of “Pixie Dust”.

The innovative Vuevo Display translation device, which will be used by the store, has been created by Japanese tech company Pixie Dust Technologies.

A woman standing behind a screen showing an English translation of a Japanese phrase — The display can show both English and Japanese text

A transparent dual-sided tablet, the Vuevo Display acts as a real-time interpreter, converting spoken words into text and then using AI to translate them between Japanese and over 100 other languages.

At-Home Cafe strategically introduced the Vuevo system just in time for the Lunar New Year travel surge, when Japan typically sees a large influx of Chinese tourists.

A group of maids standing and holding large photo frames — At-Home Cafe is celebrating its 20th anniversary

The promotional materials show maids using the Vuevo to seamlessly communicate with English-speaking customers, but its capabilities extend far beyond just mere translation.

The voice-to-text functionality can provide assistance to native Japanese speakers with hearing impairments, making the maid café experience more accessible and inclusive.

Maid cafes, with their blend of themed service, playful interaction, and theatrical performance, have become a distinctive part of Japan’s entertainment landscape.

Performances are part of the experience at maid cafés

The world of maid cafes is filled with unique terminology and cultural nuances that might pose a challenge for the translation AI.

The device strives to provide accurate translations, but the playful and often exaggerated language used in maid cafes might push its boundaries.

Upon receiving a meal, customers are often asked to recite a phrase along the lines of “moe moe kyun” which could be reasonably translated as “super cute feelings” or “adorable vibes”.

A plate of curry which has been arranged to look like a puppy's face — Curry shaped like a cute puppy will make you say “moe moe kyun!”

While individually it may be able to translate the separate words, the phrase itself is somewhat nonsensical and even Google Translate just provides a transliteration.

The Vuevo Displays are currently being tested at At-Home Café branch in the Akiba Culture Zone building in Akihabara.

Akihabara, a district synonymous with anime, manga, and gaming, is the perfect backdrop for this technological integration, as it’s a hub for both Japanese and international fans of otaku culture.

The trial period is set to run until March 31st 2025, which will allow the cafe and Pixie Dust to gather valuable feedback and refine the technology before a potential wider rollout to other maid cafes and similar service industries.

Source: Pixie Dust Technologies