From April, a revision of the highway code will allow delivery robots to offer their services throughout the country.

But there is still a long way to go before they become widespread, said Hisashi Taniguchi, president of the Tokyo robotics company ZMP.

Robots "are still newcomers to human society", so it is important that they are "humble and kind" to inspire trust, he told AFP.

ZMP has been testing its delivery robots in Tokyo for several years in partnership with large groups such as Japan Post.

His "DeliRo" robot looks like a big toy, with big, round, expressive eyes aimed at softening passers-by.

"All the children in the neighborhood know his name," rejoices Mr. Taniguchi.

In the control center of a fleet of delivery robots, January 27, 2023 in Fujisawa, Japan © Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP

Labor shortage

But beyond their cute side, DeliRo and the other delivery robots have a major mission in Japan.

Japan's population is aging - almost 30% are aged 65 and over - and many seniors live in depopulated rural areas, where access to basic necessities can be difficult.

The sharp demographic decline is also being felt in cities: home delivery services face a labor shortage, while online shopping has exploded since the pandemic.

“The lack of transportation workers is a challenge for the future,” warns Dai Fujikawa, an engineer at Japanese tech giant Panasonic, which is also testing delivery robots in Tokyo and Fujisawa, southwest of the capital. .

A robot named Hakobo sells hot drinks in the streets of Tokyo, January 13, 2023 © Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP

"I hope our robots will be used to take over where needed," adds Fujikawa.

Similar robots already exist in other countries such as the UK and China, but Japan is particularly concerned about the risk of collision and theft.

Japanese regulations impose a maximum speed of 6 km / h, so "the risk of serious injury in the event of a collision is relatively low", says Yutaka Uchimura, professor of robotic engineering at the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo.

But if a robot “rolls off the sidewalk and collides with a car due to a discrepancy between the pre-installed location data and the real environment, that would be extremely worrying,” he warns.

"A gradual process"

Panasonic says its "Hakobo" robot can autonomously judge when to stop or navigate around obstacles.

And like his colleague DeliRo, Hakobo is not completely alone: ​​at the Fujisawa control center, a human simultaneously monitors four robots via cameras.

It's automatically alerted if they're "stuck or unable to move due to obstacles," says Panasonic's Dai Fujikawa.

The RakuRo robot, in Tokyo, January 18, 2023 © Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP

Humans intervene in this case, as well as in high-risk areas like intersections, where Hakobo is programmed to send real-time images of traffic lights to operators and await their instructions.

So far, trials with Hakobo have involved delivering medicine and food to residents of Fujisawa or offering snacks in Tokyo.

Sometimes with a little commercial chatter: "Another cold day, isn't it? How about hot drinks?".

"With the robots, you can shop in a more relaxed way. Even when you don't buy anything, you can leave without feeling guilty," said Naoko Kamimura, a passerby who had just bought cough drops from Hakobo on a street. from Tokyo.

"We don't expect a drastic change in the immediate future, because there are (human) jobs at stake," Hiroki Kanda, an official from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Finance, told AFP. of Industry (Meti) responsible for promoting delivery robots.

"I think it will be a gradual process."

Moreover, "even the most basic task performed by a human can be difficult for a robot to reproduce", recalls Professor Uchimura.

© 2023 AFP