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| Photo Credit: AP. |
TOKYO (AP) — A small robot with a clip-like hand and enough smarts to know which drinks are popular is part of an effort to make convenience stores even more convenient.
On a recent
day in Tokyo, the robot named TX SCARA slid back and forth behind the
refrigerated shelves in the back of a FamilyMart store.
The hand on
the end of its mechanical arm grasped a bottle or can from the stacks to the
side, then the robot slithered to the right spot and placed the drink on the
shelf — in a place chosen after its artificial intelligence and tiny cameras
matched the kind of beverage to what’s running short.
TX SCARA is
filling a needed role in Japan’s “conbini,” as the ubiquitous tiny stores
selling snacks, drinks and knick-knacks are called.
Most such
stores are open 24-seven, filled with 3,000 kinds of products, but have
relatively few workers. The beverage shelves in the back are farthest from the
cash register, keeping workers running back and forth. And the beverage space
is refrigerated, uncomfortably cold for people to stay there too many hours.
TX SCARA,
which goes at an undisclosed price, can restock up to 1,000 bottles and cans a
day. Its artificial intelligence, called “GORDON,” knows when and where
products need to be placed on shelves, according to Tokyo-based Telexistence,
which created TX SCARA.
“We want to automate all the repetitive jobs
and boring jobs done by humans. That is the direction we are going. And the
best way to do that is to use the robots,” Chief Executive Jin Tomioka said.
Industrial
robots are already common in factories, but Tomioka’s 50-employee company sees
great potential at warehouses and home centers, he said. His robots are far
more affordable than industrial robots, such as those at auto plants, but can
prove just as crucial for social needs, designed to coexist and collaborate
with people, helping out with routine and rudimentary tasks.
Tomioka’s
robots are tailored for existing stores, which don’t have to change their
layout or routine. Their hardware uses Nvidia GPU-accelerated AI technologies
to allow for remote control over Azure, the cloud computing service operated by
Microsoft.
A
Telexistence operator wearing virtual reality glasses can see problems when
they occur, such as a dropped beverage, and fix them from the company office.
TX SCARA is
now at 300 of the 16,000 FamilyMart stores in Japan. There are 40,000 more
conbini in Japan, and the U.S. has about 150,000 convenience stores.
With its
aging population, Japan has a labor shortage that’s expected to only get more
severe in coming years.
FamilyMart
Executive Officer Tomohiro Kano referred to the Japanese expression “seeking
even a cat’s paw for help” to describe how desperate a situation might get. “At
FamilyMart, we are seeking a robot’s arm for help,” he said with a laugh.
While modern
robots are taking on serious work like mapping disaster zones and helping
doctors perform surgery, the humble TX SCARA tirelessly does the unglamorous
work of stocking shelves with bottled tea and orange drinks.
IT worker
Taisuke Miyaki watched the robot working as he peered into the beverage shelf.
He acknowledged he hadn’t noticed it before although he shops at FamilyMart
often, especially for his favorite bottled jasmine tea.
“Come to
think of it, the shelves are always nicely stocked lately,” he said.