By KENRO KURODA/ Staff Writer
June 18, 2025 at 07:00 JST
An artificial intelligence system that examines diners’ mental and physical states can recommend meals at the Wellness Lounge on April 23 at Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp.’s headquarters in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward. (Kenro Kuroda)
A Tokyo cafe is testing an artificial intelligence (AI) system that recommends personalized menu items after analyzing the customer’s mental and physical states.
The AI system at verification experiment facility Wellness Lounge makes the healthy suggestions based mainly on the diner’s facial expression and voice tone.
The cafe started operations on May 19 within the headquarters of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East Corp. (NTT East) in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
The test facility will be open for one year, and currently only serves officials from the operators and selected businesses and organizations.
Plans are being considered to let the public use the cafe.
One recent day, a customer at Wellness Lounge told a camera-mounted monitor: “I like curry and rice alongside ramen.”
In response, an AI model suggested he try decaffeinated coffee and a “mackerel sandwich with yogurt sauce and green potage.”
The system detected elevated levels of stress hormones and proposed items that could help him relax.
The cafe offers three different sandwiches with soup for a tax-inclusive 800 yen ($5.50) each. A set meal can include coffee with adjusted caffeine levels for 1,100 yen.
Customers are instructed to talk about their favorite foods for 15 seconds, allowing the AI system to assess such factors as voice tone and expressive features for menu recommendations.
The specific foods cited by diners are not taken into account in determining the suggested meals and beverages.
The Wellness Lounge also has a dedicated corner with an AI machine that advises visitors on aromatic products based on their facial expressions.
The technology at Wellness Lounge is aimed at enhancing users’ mental and physical health.
Wellness Lounge is operated primarily by NTT East and information technology provider NTT Data Japan Corp.
The AI framework is expected to be incorporated into well-being and similar programs of private companies and local government offices.
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