Japanese robot startup Telexistence partners with Nvidia to address labor shortage in Japan, prepares to expand into the U.S.

Bloomberg reported that Japan is currently the world's leading country in robot production and manufacturing, with a unique robot culture. In present-day Japanese society, robots are ubiquitous in various sectors such as animation, transportation, food and beverage, tourism, convenience stores, agriculture, and more. Due to the prevalence of robot characters in Japanese animation and manga, various types of robot prototypes have long been popular and accepted, making Japan a country known for its friendly robots.

According to Bloomberg, Japan is currently the world's leading country in robot production and manufacturing, with a unique robot culture. Robots are ubiquitous in Japanese society today, appearing in various industries such as animation, transportation, food and beverage, tourism, convenience stores, agriculture, and more. Japan has a long history of friendly robot characters in anime and manga, which has popularized and normalized various types of robot prototypes, making it a nation known for its friendly robots.

Since the 1960s, Japan has been developing the robotics industry with support and encouragement from the government. With Japan's aging society and a shortage of labor in markets such as convenience stores and food service industries, a recent study shows that by 2040, Japan could face a severe labor shortage, estimated to lose over 1.1 million workers. These labor gaps could be filled by robots.

Telexistence, a robotics startup in Japan, received a $17 million investment, as reported by Bloomberg. Telexistence utilizes generative AI, machine learning systems, and human-controlled virtual reality glasses to assist robots in transporting goods. The CEO of Telexistence mentioned that the shy and introverted nature of Japanese people makes them suitable for working alongside robots to overcome cultural barriers without the need for direct human interaction.

Telexistence's official announcement in 2022 revealed that approximately 300 FamilyMart stores across Japan have installed the TX SCARA robot, sparking significant interest and coverage from international media. Japan's largest convenience store chain, FamilyMart, announced a technology agreement with Telexistence.

Tomohiro Kano, the General Manager of FamilyMart Operations, stated that the declining workforce in Japan is one of the key challenges faced by FamilyMart. These robots are trained to handle repetitive tasks, but in rare cases where they make errors or drop items, Telexistence employees can use virtual reality glasses and equipment to control the robot arms and place items on shelves, utilizing Nvidia's AI virtual reality and GPU for remote control to address various unexpected situations.

Telexistence is expanding to the United States, deploying these robots to assist retail store owners in restocking shelves. With a severe labor shortage in the Japanese market, the TX SCARA robot can help stock refrigerated goods, canned foods, and other items, handling about a thousand items per day, equivalent to the work of humans in one to three hours per day.