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Tokyo’s streets could soon see a new kind of ambulance, one built not for humans but for humanoid robots.
Japanese IT giant GMO Internet Group revealed a van designed to carry engineers, repair equipment, replacement parts and a spare humanoid robot to a site.
The company says it is the first in Japan designed specifically for humanoid robot maintenance.
“The humanoid ‘ambulance’ carries the replacement humanoid to the site and replaces it with the damaged humanoid,” said Shota Takizawa, an engineer at GMO Air.
If repairs cannot be completed there, the damaged robot can be taken back to a repair base while the replacement takes its place.
GMO AIR said it developed the service after experiencing disruptions when damaged humanoids had to be sent away for repair.
“Learning from that experience, we came up with the idea of providing replacement humanoids,” Tomohiro Uchida, CEO of GMO Air, said.
Despite its ambulance-style markings and purple roof lights, the vehicle is effectively a mobile repair workshop. Its interior has space for robots, laptops and maintenance equipment.
There is currently one vehicle based at GMO’s Tokyo headquarters, but the company says it could add more vehicles and bases if demand increases.
“When humanoids become more popular, this kind of service will be needed,” Takizawa said.
Japan in the global humanoid robot race
The launch comes as competition over humanoid robots intensifies, particularly between China and the United States.
China has built a large humanoid manufacturing industry backed by government investment and domestic supply chains, while US companies are competing strongly in AI and advanced robotics.
McKinsey estimates the market for general-purpose robotics could reach about $370 billion (€315bn) by 2040.
Japan, long a major industrial robotics producer, is now trying to strengthen its position in AI-powered robotics.
In June, the Japanese government set a target of introducing around 10 million robots by 2040 and expanding their deployment across 18 sectors, including healthcare, food services and manufacturing.
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Video editor • Roselyne Min