Tech

Service Robots in Japan: How Regulations and Public Trust Are Shaping the Future of Automation

As you walk along a street in Japan, you simultaneously observe the ancient and the modern. The wood-framed buildings occupy the area. The wind causes the paper lanterns to swing. Meanwhile, a little delivery robot comes rolling along. It is autonomous. It has parcels on it. It halts at pedestrians. It adheres to the rules without assistance. These are service robots. They are not the big machines you see in factories. They are smaller. They are made to help people in everyday life. They deliver parcels. They help in hospitals and care homes. They stock shelves in stores. Some of them even act like companions. Japan is not adding these robots to look futuristic. It is doing it because it has to. There are not enough workers. The population is…