Japan to test humanoid robots for airport baggage handling

Japan Airlines Co. and GMO Internet Group Inc. will launch a demonstration project in May using humanoid robots to transport passengers’ luggage at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, in a bid to improve efficiency amid growing labor shortages in the aviation sector.

The pilot programme, scheduled to run through 2028, aims to assess how robotics can support ground handling operations as Japan faces rising travel demand driven by inbound tourism and a rapidly aging workforce, Caliber.Az reports per Japanese media. 

The initiative will be conducted by a Japan Airlines subsidiary responsible for ground operations and a GMO Group company focused on artificial intelligence and robotics deployment.

JAL Ground Service Co. President Yoshiteru Suzuki said the introduction of robots into physically demanding tasks is expected to significantly reduce employee workload, while noting that certain responsibilities, such as safety management, will still require human oversight.

"While airports appear highly automated and standardized, their back-end operations still rely heavily on human labor and face serious labor shortages," GMO AI & Robotics Corp. President Tomohiro Uchida said, adding that the company aims to address workforce gaps through humanoid robotics.

The companies also plan to expand the use of robots in the future to other airport functions, including aircraft cabin cleaning.

According to the project partners, the experiment will utilise China-manufactured humanoid robots currently capable of continuous operation for two to three hours.

By Sabina Mammadli