KDDI, Avita and Osaka Metro started a trial of a humanoid station attendant on 31 August. The robot, designed by Hiroshi Ishiguro, answers questions in Japanese, English and Chinese, with Gemini as its dialogue engine. The trial runs to 15 September and is meant to find out whether passengers want to talk to a machine at all.
Key takeaways
- The trial runs 31 August to 15 September 2026, daily from 11:00 to 20:00
- Two locations: Metro Opus Umeda and Metro Opus Tanimachi 9-chome (east entrance)
- The robot gives station information, transfer guidance and local tourist recommendations
- Multilingual service: Japanese, English and Chinese
- The robot was designed by Hiroshi Ishiguro, Osaka University professor and CEO of Avita
Schedule and locations
The pilot is split into two phases, each at a different station. The robot works fixed hours, outside the morning peak.
| Phase | Station | Dates | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Metro Opus Umeda (Midosuji Line, north exit) | 31 August – 6 September | 11:00–20:00 |
| 2 | Metro Opus Tanimachi 9-chome (east entrance) | 9 – 15 September | 11:00–20:00 |
Three companies, one robot
Avita built the robot and the dialogue system. KDDI supplies the connectivity infrastructure and runs the trial operationally. Osaka Metro provides the stations and judges how passengers react. It is a familiar Japanese pilot structure: the telecom operator funds the deployment, the transport operator supplies the people.
Who is responsible for what:
Ishiguro returns to public space
The conversation engine is Gemini from Google. The robot comes from Hiroshi Ishiguro, known for human-looking androids and curator of the “Future of Life” pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka. His laboratory bets on face and speech, not on manipulation skill — this robot is not meant to lift anything.
This is about acceptance, not technology
The stated goal is to measure passenger demand, acceptance and operational feasibility. That sets it apart from the capability demos humanoid robotics produces in bulk. A metro station at rush hour is a harder environment than a trade-show floor. Noise, crowds, hurry and zero patience for a slow answer.
Why it matters
A humanoid in customer service competes not with a human but with a touchscreen and a phone app. To earn its place it has to offer what those cannot: conversation without an interface, in a foreign language too. The Osaka Metro trial tests exactly that line, in live traffic and at the operator’s own cost rather than in a lab.
What's next?
- The second phase starts on 9 September at Tanimachi 9-chome and ends on 15 September
- Osaka Metro names passenger acceptance as the criterion for any further rollout decision
- Avita has disclosed neither a model name for the robot nor a commercialisation plan
