Robots and Self-Checkouts: Exploring Japan’s Customer Service
Japan’s unemployment rate remain low for 17 years with just 2.50% in 2022. Despite that, Japan’s birth rate hit an all-time low last year, with just below 800,000 newborn babies. Much that school supplies companies are shutting down due to the shrinking student population, while markets are selling more adult diapers than baby diapers. So, the threat of automation replacing human jobs isn’t their worry; it is more like a survival strategy for the country’s chronic labor shortage.
Service Robots
Japan is the “land of the rising robots” for a reason due to the country being at the forefront of robotics technology. They deploy these robots to certain fields like aeronautics, medicine, disaster mitigation and investigation, rescue, and entertainment. These robots are the ones that automate repetitive tasks and provide assistance to the aging population.
Like straight out of the Wall-E movie, these ‘robocops’ are deployed around Tokyo train stations to patrol, guide passengers, and sweep. Also, as if inching closer to the Gundam anime series, there is also a designed prototype of a humanoid robot that can help in railway maintenance and construction works.
Meet Chihira Junco
Now meet Chihira Junco — a humanoid robot in Aqua City Odaiba shopping mall. Unlike most android robots, Junco is so lifelike that passersby won’t probably notice at first that she’s a robot. She’s an information desk staff who also wears her official uniform, can do subtle movements, blink, talk in three languages (Japanese, Chinese and English), provide shopping assistance, and can tell you something about herself too. Junco is just one of Japan’s myriad of staff robots (barista robots, receptionists, robot-operated boutiques, hotels, trains, and the like).
Robots as personal companions
Longing for some emotional support? Well, Japan is indeed living the sci-fi dream with their emotionally-enhanced robots. Japanese people are known to be introverted, so this AI-powered pet, ‘lovot‘ (love and robot) “can touch people’s hearts and that inspire real affection.”
Lovots are not high maintenance. They greet you when you come home, you can rock them and they will sleep in a snap. Or sometimes, they just flap their arms and cry a little for some cuddles.
Erika – The Most Beautiful and Intelligent Humanoid Robot
If nobody’s laughing at your awkward dad jokes, wait ’til you meet this chatty and laughing robot, Erika. Besides her human-like silicone skin, she can also move, has facial expressions, recognizes faces, and can have a genuine conversation. Her public speaking skills may even be better than ours! Erica’s creator intentionally mirrored a human’s appearance and laughter to build more emphatic robots that can bond with people.
The Self-Checkout System
Now, let’s go dive deeper into Japan’s futuristic customer service, where it’s almost normal to have unmanned stores (even vehicles). Today, convenience stores, supermarkets, and shops are replacing humans with self-service machines. Moreover, some giant retailers like 7-eleven also take this in-store experience to another level with their holographic self-checkout kiosks. It’s a floating hologram which is perfect for those who prefer contactless shopping.
Meanwhile, Japan’s UNIQLO stores have adopted RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology in their shopping carts, machines, and hang tags. These self-checkout machines let you put your cart on its counter and your bill will automatically show on the screen. You don’t need to scan your items individually because the machine will automatically do it for you. Goodbye, long queues!
What do you think about Japan’s impressive innovations? Weird or life-changing? Share them in the comments!
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