Trash can robot tested at Shinjuku train station
JAPAN NEWS
A woman puts trash into a mobile autonomous trash can at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo.
TOKYO >> East Japan Railway Co., more commonly known as JR East, has been conducting a test for an autonomous robot that serves as a mobile trash can at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. The trial continues through late November.
Since Sept. 8, the company has been verifying the safety of the robot as well as other issues, and is hoping the introduction of the autonomous trash can will improve the efficiency of cleaning operations at the station.
The robot, about 3 feet tall, moves along a predetermined route. It allows customers to dispose of trash, including empty cans, through slots located along the robot’s body.
Equipped with motion sensors, the mobile trash can avoids passersby while roaming the station at a speed just over one-half mile per hour. The trial is being conducted in the concourse inside ticket gates on the first basement level of the station. It runs on weekdays through Nov. 20.
