A number of AI-driven robots are being deployed by Telexistence and FamilyMart to refill shelves in 300 convenience stores around Japan, as reported first by Bloomberg.
According to a statement released on Wednesday by Tokyo-based Telexistence, the robot arms are currently in mass production and are intended to place drinks in freezers and other repetitive tasks in a store.
Filling The Gap of Japan's Labor Force
Later this month, they'll be deployed in FamilyMart shops throughout significant urban regions, relieving store employees and helping to fill the gap left by a declining labor force in Japan.
The robots, known as TX SCARA, or Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm, are mostly autonomous and are equipped with remote piloting as a backup in case the artificial intelligence malfunctions.
According to Telexistence, each unit may replace one to three hours of labor per store every day.
FamilyMart's general manager Tomohiro Kano said that one of the company's most important management concerns is retaining stable store operations amid the decline of Japan's workforce population.
Bloomberg's report further noted that FamilyMart will be paying Telexistence a monthly charge for the robot's labor, including its upkeep and assistance of remote personnel who can operate the arm through a virtual reality headset if necessary.
But it is worth noting that these AI-driven robots can do their tasks 98% of the time without assistance from humans, according to Telexistence.
Will The Robots Be Available In The US?
Telexistence worked together on the design and technology of the bots with Microsoft and Nvidia, two of the biggest names in US technology.
In order to optimize restocking duties, the SCARA arms process information using Nvidia's Jetson AI platform. To store and access sales data, the robots will be employing Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure.
FamilyMart is now operating 16,000 convenience stores (which is called conbini in Japan) across its home market, but Telexistence and Microsoft said that they also intend to make the technology available over the entire world.
In fact, the next objective for Telexistence's international expansion will be the more than 150,000 convenience outlets in the US. Hence, Americans might find these AI-driven robots in their stores soon.
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Written by Joaquin Victor Tacla
