Japan's robot needs are more cat-eared waiters than AI humanoids

TOKYO -- At Gusto, a casual restaurant in Shinjuku popular with families and foreign tourists, a squat, cat-eared robot glides slowly through the extra-wide aisles. Roughly the height of a young child, the robot features stylized cat ears and a screen bearing a digital feline face smiling at diners enjoying their steaks and pancakes.