In an effort to make convenience stores handier, a miniature robot with a hand that resembles a clip and the intelligence to recognize which drinks are popular has been developed.
The TX SCARA robot was seen recently in Tokyo moving back and forth behind the refrigerator shelves of a FamilyMart supermarket.
The robot reached out and took a bottle or can from the stacks to the side with the hand on the end of its mechanical arm, placing it on the shelf in the proper location after using its artificial intelligence and microscopic cameras to match the beverage’s type to what is running low.
TX SCARA is providing a crucial demand in Japan’s ubiquitous little shops known as “conbini” which offer snacks, drinks, and trinkets.
The majorities of these shops have 3,000 different product types and are open 24/7, although they employ only a small number of people. Workers must run back and forth because the beverage shelves in the back are farthest from the pay register. Additionally, the beverage area is frigid, making it uncomfortable for guests to spend too much time there.
TX SCARA, which goes at an undisclosed price, can replenish up to 1,000 bottles and cans a day. According to Tokyo-based Telexistence, which developed TX SCARA, its artificial intelligence, known as “GORDON,” recognizes when and where products need to be placed on shelves.
“We aim to automate all the tedious and repetitive tasks currently carried out by humans. We are heading in that direction. The easiest way to accomplish it, according to Chief Executive Jin Tomioka, is to utilize robots.
Although industrial robots are already widely used in factories, Tomioka’s 50-person startup believes they have enormous potential in warehouses and home centers. His robots are much more economical than industrial robots, such as those at auto factories, but they can be just as important for social requirements because they are made to coexist and work alongside people while assisting with simple and ordinary activities.
The robots made by Tomioka are designed for current stores, so they don’t need to alter their routines or layout. Their hardware enables remote management by Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing service, using Nvidia GPU-accelerated AI technology.
When a problem arises—like a beverage that has been dropped—a Telexistence operator using virtual reality glasses can view it and correct it from the business office.
300 of the 16,000 FamilyMart locations in Japan now carry TX SCARA. In Japan, there are 40,000 more conbini, and there are around 150,000 convenience stores in the United States.
Japan now has a labor shortage that is likely to worsen over the next few years due to its aging population.
To illustrate how desperate a situation may become, FamilyMart Executive Officer Tomohiro Kano used the Japanese proverb “seeking even a cat’s paw for help.” He joked, “At FamilyMart, we are looking for a robot’s arm to help.”
The modest TX SCARA works hard to restock shelves with bottled tea and orange juice as more advanced robots tackle more important tasks like mapping disaster zones and assisting surgeons.
Taisuke Miyaki, an IT professional, looked into the beverage shelf and observed the robot at work. Although he frequently shopped at FamilyMart, especially for his preferred bottled jasmine tea, he admitted he hadn’t seen it previously.
The shelves are actually always well-stocked these days, he thought.
