Aeon introduces AI robots for distribution efficiency - NHKニュース

Japanese retailer Aeon has started to use AI-equipped robots to improve distribution efficiency. The move reflects the automation trend in logistics, a sector plagued by labor shortages.

Aeon showed the robots sorting boxes at a distribution center in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo.

The company says the devices use AI and sensors to handle and stack boxes of different sizes and weights.

Aeon says the more than 90 units deployed at the center can significantly reduce the workload of human staff.

By fiscal 2030, the company aims to automate the handling of 80 percent of non-refrigerated products at distribution centers.

Aeon says it will still need human workers at the centers for dealing with unexpected events, such as disasters.