Tech Experimental Japanese robot serving up drinks

In the demonstration experiment held at the company's Akashi Works on Aug. 8, Nyokkey moved to the front of the reception room based on the map it memorized, and recognized the position of the doorknob using sensors on its head and arms. It grabbed the doorknob with its right arm and knocked with its left arm, then advanced forward into the slightly opened space to open the door wider. After placing the tray of drinks onto its cart, the robot entered the room and said, "Here are the drinks." Nyokkey is expected to compensate for labor shortages due to Japan's population decline. The manufacturing industry has been active in introducing such robots, but the service industry, which accounts for almost half of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), has not been so keen. Therefore, Kawasaki Heavy Industries began developing highly versatile platform robots.

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