The West Japan Railway Co (JR West) has unveiled a humanoid robot capable of carrying out a variety of maintenance tasks on its lines. The robot is based on a prototype that has already been tested by JR West. With its two arms, the device can carry objects weighing up to 40 kg and has a reach of up to 12 m. The robot is also used for felling trees or removing other obstacles, painting infrastructure, and replacing or repairing signalling equipment. The large machine is mounted on a lorry that can travel on rails. An operator controls the machine from inside with goggles connected to cameras. The new robot was developed in co-operation with Jinki Ittai Co, a developer of robot technology, and Nippon Signal Co, an IT and electrical company in the infrastructure sector.
