Japanese Convenience Store Tests Robot Workers

2020年9月14日
6 Intermediate Asia & Pacific Science & Technology

Exercise 1
Vocabulary
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convenience store 名詞
/kənˈviːnjəns stɔː/ a small store that sells food and some household items

There's a small convenience store inside the gas station.

chain 名詞
/tʃeɪn/ a group of shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. owned by the same person or company

KFC is one of the world's most popular fast-food chains.

stock 動詞

/stɑːk/ to fill with goods for sale or a supply of something

I got a job stocking shelves at a supermarket when I was 16.

cashier 名詞
/kæˈʃɪr/ a person whose job is to take and pay out money in a shop, bank, etc.

The cashier asked me to swipe my credit card through the reader.

virtual reality 名詞

/ˈvɝːtʃuːəl riˈæləti/ special equipment that allows users to experience a digital world

The US Air Force uses virtual reality to train new pilots.

copy 動詞
/ˈkɑːpi/ to act or behave like someone or something

Children learn by copying what others do.

Exercise 2
Article

Japanese Convenience Store Tests Robot Workers

Japanese convenience store chain Family Mart is testing using robot workers to stock its shelves.

The convenience store industry in Japan has had problems getting enough staff, reports SoraNews24 , so many
companies are using technology to find ways of running their businesses with fewer employees.
Earlier this year, Lawson opened its first cashier-free store, where there are still staff to stock the shelves, but
customers pay for their shopping with an app.

Family Mart is now testing the Model-T robot. Made by Telexistence, it is named after the Ford Model T, the first
car that was cheap enough for the average worker to afford. Telexistence says the robot isn't expensive to
produce, and is easy to control using virtual reality (VR).

A video of the robot being tested shows a "pilot" in Telexistence's office in Toranomon using VR to control a
Model-T in a Family Mart in Toshima ward, about 8 kilometers away. The robot copies how the pilot moves,
picking up bottles and putting them on a shelf.

Telexistence says the technology will let one pilot work in many different stores from a single location. It will also
allow store staff to stay at the counter without having to worry about stocking the shelves.

At first, the Model-T will be used to stock plastic drink bottles from behind fridges in stores. But later, the robots
may be used to stock other products, like rice balls, sandwiches and bento boxes.

Family Mart plans to have the Model-T in up to 20 stores by 2022.

Exercise 3
Questions
1. What was the Model-T robot named after?

2. Is the Model-T expensive to make?

3. What will Family Mart be using the Model-T for?

Exercise 4