Unitree Humanoid Robots Step Up to Move Bags at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport

Japan Airlines is testing humanoid robots for baggage and cargo jobs at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport this month, with a small group of them working alongside ground crew for the first time. Unitree builds the machines under the name G1, and they’re modest, standing around four feet tall and weighing little over seventy pounds. They can reach speeds of 4.4 miles per hour, but they can only run for two hours before needing to be recharged. They’re also small enough to fit into tight spaces around planes that larger machines cannot reach.

At this stage, you can observe ground people working alongside these robots, hauling large goods over the tarmac, tackling service stairs instead of jet bridges, and connecting aircraft power and air conditioning. It is later in the process for them to begin cabin cleaning, and because of its humanoid form factor, staff do not have to bother about tearing out all of the present airport equipment or reworking the aircraft doors and holds.

Labor shortages are driving this move, as Japan’s working-age population is declining at the moment, but tourist numbers continue to rise. Then there’s Haneda Airport, which handles over 60 million passengers each year and shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Ground handling is a difficult profession that requires continual heavy lifting and rapid thinking in cramped spaces, and to be honest, there aren’t many people willing to fill those roles. Japan Airlines collaborated with JAL Ground Service to try to use the robots to relieve some of the physical stress on its human employees.

GMO AI & Robotics is the company that supplies the machines and develops the proprietary software that teaches them the ins and outs of airport operations. They used their previous lab work to fine-tune the robots’ movements so that they could withstand the real-world conditions of the tarmac. Early presentations showed one of the robots just moving a bunch of bags onto a conveyor belt and waving at a ground crew member, demonstrating the level of cooperation necessary on a daily basis.

The test run will go until 2028, and the first step is to sketch out all of the paths and ramps to ensure that everyone can safely share the space. Then they will conduct numerous practice runs, just like actual shifts, but with human supervisors keeping a tight watch on everything at all times. The goal of the exercise is to help the workers, not to take their employment. Safety will remain with humans, and the idea is just to relieve some of the strain on those who are becoming exhausted from all of this heavy lifting. They can work for a long time before needing to recharge, which won’t happen often since the cost of each unit is roughly $13,500.
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