Robots set for Olympic glory at Tokyo 2020
ROBOTS that can serve food and drink and guide people to their seats will star at the Tokyo Olympics.
The hi-tech assistants were unveiled yesterday as the Japanese capital strives to make next year’s games the most innovative in history.
Sponsor Toyota has developed the robot “volunteers” so spectators can watch the Games in greater comfort.
Standing 3ft high, they will also provide event information, give directions and help disabled spectators by carrying food and other items.
The space-age helpers will introduce themselves to spectators who can then place orders on a tablet.
Also unveiled were robotic versions of the Tokyo 2020 mascots Miraitowa and Someity, who can recognise and respond to facial expressions.
Meanwhile, Panasonic has developed a “power suit” to help with a range of Olympic-related chores, including delivering or loading heavy baggage brought to Japan by athletes and officials. And Aruze Gaming has tested a sharply dressed 6ft robot that can show passengers the way to toilets and lockers at metro stations.
The robots offer directions and recommend tourist attractions in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. There has also been speculation that a flying car will be used to light the Olympic flame.
Toyota has also developed field support robots shaped like miniature shuttle buses that can travel at 12 miles per hour. The vehicle follows event officials and will be used to transport athletes’ javelins, hammer and discus equipment back to them.
It is a miniature version of the driverless ride-sharing vehicles being developed to transport competitors around the athletes’ village.
Hirohisa Hirukawa, leader of the Tokyo 2020 Robot Project, said: “There will not only be sports at the Tokyo 2020 Games, but also some cool robots at work to look forward to.”