Panasonic Holdings Corporation has become the first company in Japan to obtain road use permission to operate a single remote-controlled compact vehicle operated by a single operator on public roads in multiple areas, for a total of 10 vehicles to drive simultaneously, and has begun a demonstration experiment.
As the logistics industry faces a chronic labor shortage, the number of parcels increasing with the expansion of the EC market, and the number of people with shopping difficulties, typified by problems with access to groceries, have become major social issues. In response to these social issues, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry launched the “Public-Private Council for the Realization of Delivery Using Autonomous Driving Robots” in 2019, and began full-scale consideration of the social implementation of robot delivery services.
Panasonic HD has developed robot solutions that combine automatic transport robots with remote control systems, and is promoting the use of robots in last-mile delivery, mobile sales, information dissemination, and other areas, and is implementing these solutions in various regions.
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To alleviate labor shortages through the use of robots, it is important that one remote operator can safely operate many robots simultaneously. In response to this, パナソニック HD became the first in Japan (*2) to achieve this in April 2022, operating four remote-controlled small vehicles simultaneously with a single operator in a fully remote manner without deploying security personnel near the robots. Since then, the company has continued to provide services with various partners while operating multiple robots simultaneously.
Now, to further improve efficiency, an AI function has been developed to support some of the tasks of remote operators, significantly reducing the workload of remote operators and making it possible to increase the number of robots that can be operated simultaneously to 10. In addition, a total of 10 “JACOBO” automated transport robots will be operated fully remotely in three areas: Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture; Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture; and Saga City, Saga Prefecture.
In the future, we aim to contribute to the provision of services that utilize multiple robots simultaneously, with one operator working across multiple regions. Furthermore, by customizing the cabin installed at the rear of the “JACOBO,” it is possible to accommodate a variety of uses, such as mobile sales and information dissemination, so by combining multiple units, regions, and services, it is possible to reduce the operating costs of robot services. By being able to operate robots from offices in remote locations, we will also contribute to eliminating labor imbalances between regions and improving working styles.
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