TX SCARA robots begin to replace staff in Japanese stores

FamilyMart stores in Japan will have an interesting new feature before the end of the month. These are the TX SCARA robots created by Telexistence. Their purpose will be a tireless control of the timely replenishment of goods on the shelves. In the first stage, they will be launched in 300 points of the chain, working around the clock.

The machines will be controlled by artificial intelligence (AI). As a backup, there will be an option to remotely connect the operator through a virtual reality headset. The developers claim that their devices can replace human labor in 98% of cases in retail establishments.

The need to attract machines is due, above all, to the lack of personnel in the Land of the Rising Sun. In addition, the emergence of smart assistants will reduce the load on the staff. The freed up staff time can be considered as an important reserve, which can be used to improve the quality of customer service. The retail chain will pay not only for the use of bots and their maintenance, but also for the support of remote operators.

The development was made possible by the participation of major companies such as Microsoft and Nvidia. They provided the cloud storage service Microsoft Azure and the AI platform Nvidia Jetson, respectively. The experience gained will be scaled – the next step for Telexistence should be the implementation of TX SCARA in 150,000 American supermarkets.