🤖 From April, revised traffic laws will allow self-driving delivery robots to navigate streets across Japan.
FUJISAWA — "Excuse me, coming through," a four-wheeled robot chirps as it dodges pedestrians on a street outside Tokyo, part of an experiment businesses hope will tackle labour shortages and rural isolation.
"They are still newcomers in human society, so it's natural they're seen with a bit of discomfort," he told AFP.Mr Taniguchi said it's important the robots"are humble and lovable" to inspire confidence. Labour shortages in its cities and new rules limiting overtime for truck drivers also make it difficult for businesses to keep up with pandemic-fuelled e-commerce and delivery demands.
Regulations set a maximum speed of six kilometres per hour, meaning the"chances of severe injury in the event of a collision are relatively small", said Professor Yutaka Uchimura, a robotic engineering professor at Shibaura Institute of Technology .
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Japan PM Kishida to return to work Monday after sinus surgery: ReportTOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will return to work on Monday (Feb 13) after his sinus surgery in a Tokyo hospital at the weekend proved uneventful, the Kyodo news agency said. Saturday's procedure ran for about three hours and 40 minutes, the agency said, quoting government sources. Kishida w
Read more »
Philippines' Marcos open to a troop pact with JapanMANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Sunday (Feb 12) he saw no reason why the Philippines should not have a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Japan if it would boost maritime security and ensure greater protection for Filipino fishermen. Marcos, however, also told reporters he would exercise ca
Read more »
How a female gibbon locked in a cage alone in Japan got pregnantIn February 2021, staff at the Kujukushima Zoo & Botanical Garden in Nagasaki were baffled when Momo, a 12-year-old white-handed gibbon, gave birth despite not having a male companion. Following a DNA testing of the baby gibbon, the zoo learned that the infant's father is Itō, a 34-year-old male gibbon who was held in an enclosure adjacent to Momo's. “It took us two years to figure it out because we couldn't get close enough to collect samples — she was very protective of her child,” Jun Yamano, the superintendent of the zoo, told Vice.
Read more »
Families seek closure for wartime mine disaster as Japan-Korea relations thawUBE, Japan: On a crisp February morning, four elderly Korean men bowed their heads towards Japan's Seto Inland Sea as the surf lapped near their shoes. They were paying respects to relatives entombed in a coal mine deep beneath their feet 80 years ago - among thousands of Korean bodies scattered across Jap
Read more »
All-male BOJ picks another blow for gender equality in JapanWomen make up just 15% of Japan’s senior public and private-sector officials and managers. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Read more »
BOJ's expected new chief Ueda to let data guide exit timing- ex-staffTOKYO : The Bank of Japan's expected next governor Kazuo Ueda likely won't rush to overhaul ultra-loose policy and will instead let economic data guide the exit timing, said Tetsuya Inoue, who was Ueda's staff secretary when he was a central bank board member.Markets are closely watching for hints on the
Read more »