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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Justin McCurry in Tokyo

Humanoid robots to become baggage handlers in Japan airport experiment

A humanoid robot pushes a cargo container during a media demonstration at Haneda airport in Tokyo on Monday
A robot pushes a cargo container during a media demonstration at Haneda airport in Tokyo on Monday. The Chinese-made humanoids will move luggage and cargo on the tarmac on a trial basis from May. Photograph: Kyodo News/Getty Images

Japan’s famously conscientious but overburdened baggage handlers will soon be joined by extra staff at Tokyo’s Haneda airport – although their new colleagues will need to take regular recharging breaks.

Japan Airlines will introduce humanoid robots on a trial basis from the beginning of May, with a view to deploying them permanently as a solution to the country’s chronic labour shortage.

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