JAL trials bipedal robots for baggage and cabin cleaning
The post JAL trials bipedal robots for baggage and cabin cleaning appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com. Japan Airlines (JAL) kicked off a three year trial of humanoid robots at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. The airline partnered with GMO AI & Robotics to deploy two Unitree Robotics units for baggage handling, container transport, and cabin cleaning. The machines cost about $15,400 each. JAL went with the humanoid form because airports were designed around people, not wheeled machines. Bipedal robots can navigate the existing layout without forcing costly infrastructure changes. Japan’s shrinking workforce drove the decision Japan’s working age population is projected to drop 31% between 2023 and 2060. Haneda processes around 85.9 million passengers a year. JAL employs ~4,000 ground handling workers, and the Japanese government wants to hit 60 million inbound tourists annually by 2030 (up from 42.7 million in 2025). Demand for airport labor keeps climbing. The number of people available to do