Airport souvenir shop goes unmanned, taps robot
A cat-like robot has started selling unattended souvenirs at Narita airport near Tokyo in a demonstration experiment aimed at addressing manpower shortages and improving operational efficiency.
The experiment, the first of its kind in Japan, began last month and is a joint project between the airport and the Nomura Research Institute, according to the research firm. It will continue until Dec. 15 in Terminal 3’s domestic boarding gate area.
At the “Pickru Store,” customers select an item on a touch panel and pay for it. Then, the robot responds by picking one from stacks of souvenirs with its tail, which has a suction device, and delivering it to the pickup point.
Shoplifting not an issue
The store sells a total of 12 popular snack souvenirs, including “Hiyoko Sweets.”
According to the institute, the service eliminates concerns about shoplifting because customers have no direct access to the merchandise.
Additionally, the initial investment cost would be lower than that of an unmanned convenience store because installing security cameras would be unnecessary.
Kenichiro Hiroto, who was in charge of developing the system, said, “We hope this system will address the issue of labor shortages as the working-age population declines.”
