TOKYO - Artificial intelligence is moving beyond computer screens and into factories and logistics centers, where robots capable of interpreting their surroundings and making independent decisions are emerging as a potential solution to Japan's chronic labor shortages, with Japanese unicorn startup Mujin and industrial robot manufacturer Yaskawa Electric leading efforts to develop the next generation of intelligent machines.
Known as "physical AI," the technology combines artificial intelligence with robotics, allowing machines to perform tasks based on real-time observations rather than simply repeating movements determined by preprogrammed instructions. Instead of relying on humans to direct every action, robots can assess their surroundings, determine what needs to be done and carry out the necessary operations autonomously.
The global market for physical AI is expected to expand rapidly, reaching approximately 55 trillion yen by 2040, according to estimates by Japan's Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. The technology is attracting growing attention as companies worldwide seek ways to improve productivity and reduce their dependence on human labor.
In Japan, where a shrinking workforce is placing increasing pressure on manufacturing and distribution operations, physical AI could offer a way to maintain industrial output while reducing staffing requirements.
One company at the forefront of this transformation is Mujin, a Japan-based startup that has achieved unicorn status and attracted international attention for its AI-powered robotic control technology. The company is working to automate logistics centers by developing systems that enable industrial robots to make decisions and perform tasks with minimal human intervention.
Unlike conventional robotic systems that require detailed programming for individual operations, Mujin's technology is designed to give robots greater flexibility in responding to changing conditions inside warehouses and distribution facilities. The company's efforts focus on reducing the number of workers needed to operate logistics centers, an increasingly important challenge as Japan struggles to secure sufficient labor.
Major industrial robot manufacturers are also accelerating their development of AI-powered machines. Yaskawa Electric, one of the world's leading producers of industrial robots, is seeking to combine artificial intelligence with its long-established expertise in motors and precision control systems.
The company aims to enable robots to handle delicate and complicated operations that have traditionally required human workers. Its strategy is built around integrating AI decision-making capabilities with the highly accurate movement and control technologies that Japanese manufacturers have refined over decades.
Tokyo Robotics, a venture company under Yaskawa Electric, is developing a new type of robot designed to assist industrial robots in place of human workers. The system is being developed to perform maintenance-related tasks such as wiping away oil and replacing components, operations that have typically required manual intervention.
Such developments could allow industrial facilities to automate not only production processes but also some of the supporting activities needed to keep machinery operating, potentially reducing the need for workers to perform routine maintenance and assistance tasks.
The broader challenge for Japanese manufacturers is to turn their traditional strengths in mechanical engineering, motors and precision control into a competitive advantage in the emerging physical AI industry.
While artificial intelligence provides the decision-making capabilities that serve as a robot's brain, Japan's established industrial technologies offer the ability to translate those decisions into precise physical movements. Combining these strengths is becoming a central strategy as international competition in advanced robotics intensifies.
The television documentary program Gaia no Yoake examines these developments through an inside look at the research and development operations of Mujin, Yaskawa Electric and Tokyo Robotics, exploring whether physical AI can help Japan overcome its labor shortage while creating new opportunities for its manufacturing and technology industries.
As robots evolve from machines that simply follow instructions into systems capable of observing, deciding and acting independently, Japan's industrial sector is facing a potentially significant technological transformation, with the success of physical AI likely to play an important role in determining the country's position in the next generation of global automation.
Source: テレ東BIZ
