To alleviate labor shortage... Robots display drinks at Japanese Family Mart ships

NHK reported on the 12th that Family Mart, a Japanese convenience store chain, has decided to introduce robots that automatically replenish beverages in stores nationwide from January next year to alleviate the labor shortage.

Family Mart, together with a venture company in Tokyo, developed a robot using physical artificial intelligence (AI) that can automatically refill drinks.

This robot is equipped with a camera, so it can check if there is a shortage of products on the shelf. When it is determined that replenishment is necessary, products are selected from the inventory shelves and restocked on the shelves.

It is also possible to prioritize selling products that are likely to sell well by analyzing the store's sales performance and the weather on the day. You can also properly place a fallen product.

Family Mart expects that it can replenish up to 1,800 drinks per day, reducing the time it takes to refill drinks by about 70%.

Family Mart introduced robots to refill drinks into some stores in 2022, and has continued to make improvements, including increasing the speed of refilling.

The company said, “As the time and physical burden required for (beverage) replenishment work is reduced, the remaining time will be able to be used for store cleaning and serving customers,” and added, “We hope that the use of robots will lead to resolving labor shortages and improving work efficiency.”