This week, Lawson deployed its first robot in a convenience store, in Tokyo. FamilyMart trialled the same robots last month, and says it plans to have them working in 20 of its stores by 2022.
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The Model-T robot — named after the Ford automobile that pioneered assembly line production in the early 20th Century — is controlled by shop staff remotely. A human “pilot” wears a virtual reality (VR) headset and special gloves that let them “feel” in their own hands the products the robot is holding. Microphones and headphones allow them to communicate with people in the store.
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In theory, the robot could be controlled from anywhere in the world, says [a Telexistence representative].
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This makes recruitment easier and offers potential for hiring overseas in places with lower labor costs, says [the representative]
At Tesla, a job listing for Unreal Software Engineer, Virtual Reality Teleoperation, Tesla Bot