The Narita International Airport has been graced with Panasonic's service robots in the company's unique testing of AI. The approach was taken into consideration due to the rising "labor shortages" in the country.
The HOSPI service robots greet customers with a "smile on their face" quite literally. The face-on-a-screen produces a smiley whenever it meets clients. The robots have been place by airport operators in areas of the lounge to clear plates.
Consecutively, these androids are put to trial testing to serve as waiters in nearby posh hotels. Initially developed to aid in hospitals with the delivery of drugs, the machines have sophisticated sensors on-board which aid it in dodging obstacles.
The manager at the Robotics Business Promotion Department at Panasonic, Ryosuke Murai, said, "As we head towards 2020, Japan will welcome more visitors from overseas, and also face labor shortages as the birth rate declines and society ages". In a marketing video made for the 'droids he also added, "With our personal care robots, we, at Panasonic, hope to realize a safe, secure lifestyle."
The robots will be installed at the Narita International lounge for the initial trial for five days. During this time customers will be requested to answer a questionnaire related to the robots' usability. Airport operators are optimistic and state that the robots will definitely prove to be a success.
The trial might just initiate the drafting of robots to handle the influx of visitors for the 2020 Olympics. While speaking to Japan News, an official said, "We aim to find services that can be handled by robots to prepare for envisioned labor shortages due to population declines, as well as the expected increase in the number of passengers for the Tokyo Olympics".
Despite being years away from any potential appearances in Britain, the threat of automation looms imminently over jobs in the market. In order to highlight some of the realities of free trade and globalization, Mark Carney made a high-profile speech last month.
According to the Bank of England, in the upcoming decades machines and robots could cause the loss of almost 15 million British jobs.
