A pint-sized humanoid is learning the rhythms of a Tokyo care home

On September 10–11, the compact humanoid D1 spent two days inside a real care facility in Bunkyo, Tokyo — riding elevators, ferrying light supplies, and pouring tea from a pot for residents. It is the first time the robot has been tested somewhere people actually live, a small step toward machines that take heavy, repetitive work off caregivers' shoulders so humans can focus on human company.