Japanese robot to clock in at a convenience store in test of retail automation

Lawson

15/07/2020 10:30

By Tim Kelly
    TOKYO, July 15 (Reuters) - In August, a robot vaguely
resembling a kangaroo will begin stacking sandwiches, drinks and
ready meals on shelves at a Japanese convenience store in a test
its maker, Telexistence, hopes will help trigger a wave of
retail automation.
    Following that trial, store operator FamilyMart  8028.T 
says it plans to use robot workers at 20 stores around Tokyo by
2022. At first, people will operate them remotely - until the
machines' artificial intelligence (AI) can learn to mimic human
movements. Rival convenience store chain Lawson  2651.T  is
deploying its first robot in September, according to
Telexistence.    
    "It advances the scope and scale of human existence," the
robot maker's chief executive, Jin Tomioka, said as he explained
how its technology lets people sense and experience places other
than where they are.
    The idea, dubbed telexistence, was first proposed by the
start up's co-founder, University of Tokyo professor Susumu
Tachi, four decades ago.
    Their company has received funding from technology
investment company Softbank Group  9984.T  and cell phone
service operator KDDI  9433.T  in Japan, with overseas investors
including European passenger aircraft maker Airbus SE  AIR.PA .
It dubbed its robot the Model T, a nod to the Ford Motor car
that began the era of mass motoring a century ago. 
    Its quirky design is meant to help shoppers feel at ease
because people can feel uncomfortable around robots that look
too human.
    
    ESCAPING FACTORIES 
    Robots are still a rare sight in public. Although they can
outperform humans in manufacturing plants built around them,
they struggle with simple tasks in more unpredictable urban
settings.
    Solving that performance problem could help businesses in
industrialised nations, particularly those in rapidly ageing
Japan, cope with fewer workers. Firms hit by the coronavirus
outbreak may also need to operate with fewer people.
    Since the outbreak started, hotels, restaurants and even gas
and oil companies have contacted Telexistence, Tomioka said.
    "It's difficult to tell now what impact robots might have in
restaurants - it could mean fewer people, but it could also
create new jobs," said Niki Harada, an official at Japan's
Restaurant Workers Union.  
    Using human operators with virtual reality goggles and
motion-sensor controls to train its machines slashes the cost of
retail robotics compared with complex programming that can cost
10 times more than as the hardware and take months to complete,
Telexistence says.    
    Although FamilyMart will still need humans to control its
robots, operators can be anywhere and include people who would
not normally work in stores, said Tomohiro Kano, a general
manager in charge of franchise development.
    "There are about 1.6 million people in Japan, who for
various reasons are not active in the workforce," he said.
    Future telexistence robots could also be used in hospitals
so doctors could perform operations from remote locations,
predicted Professor Takeo Kanade, an AI and robotics scientist
at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States, who joined
Telexistence in February as an adviser.
    It might take another 20 years before robots can work in
people's homes, however, he said.
    "In order for robots to be really usable at home we really
have to be able to communicate. The fundamental thing that is
lacking is knowing how humans behave." 

 (Reporting by Tim Kelly; additional reporting by Kevin
Buckland. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
 ((tim.kelly@thomsonreuters.com; +813-6441-1311;))