Humanoid robots start sorting luggage in Tokyo airport test amid labor shortage

人形机器人入驻东京机场，测试行李搬运以应对劳动力短缺

Humanoid robots are getting a new gig as baggage handlers and cargo loaders at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport—part of a Japan Airlines experiment to address a human labor shortage as airport visitor numbers have surged in recent years.

人形机器人正在东京羽田机场开启一份新工作，担任行李搬运工和货物装卸员。这是日本航空公司（JAL）的一项实验，旨在应对近年来机场客流量激增所带来的劳动力短缺问题。

The demonstration, set to launch in May 2026, could eventually test humanoid robots in a wide range of airport tasks, including cleaning aircraft cabins and possibly handling ground support equipment such as baggage carts, according to a Japan Airlines press release. The trials are scheduled to run until 2028, which suggests that travelers flying into or out of Tokyo may spot some of the robots at work.

根据日本航空发布的新闻稿，该演示项目定于 2026 年 5 月启动，未来可能会测试人形机器人在更广泛机场任务中的表现，包括清洁机舱，以及处理行李车等地面支持设备。试验计划持续到 2028 年，这意味着往返东京的旅客或许有机会亲眼见到这些机器人投入工作。

This marks the latest foray for humanoid robots after they have already begun pilot-testing in workplaces such as automotive factories and warehouses. Most robotic productivity so far has relied on robotic arms and similarly specialized robots that perform the same predictable tasks on assembly lines and in warehouses. By comparison, humanoid robots face a much stiffer challenge in dealing with more open and unpredictable work environments, and it remains to be seen whether the latest robotic software and hardware will be up to the task.

继在汽车工厂和仓库等工作场所开始试点测试后，这是人形机器人的又一次新尝试。迄今为止，大多数机器人生产力仍依赖于机械臂等专业机器人，它们在流水线和仓库中执行重复且可预测的任务。相比之下，人形机器人在应对更开放、更不可预测的工作环境时面临着严峻挑战，最新的机器人软硬件能否胜任这项任务，仍有待观察。

Japan Airlines is interested in testing whether humanoid robots powered by some of the latest AI models can adapt more readily to human work environments—such as airports—without requiring dedicated work stations or other significant workplace modifications. The airline’s subsidiary, JAL Ground Service, has teamed up with GMO AI & Robotics Corporation to oversee the demonstration. The Japanese companies will test the G1 robot and Walker E robot from Chinese companies Unitree Robotics and UBTECH Robotics, according to The Asia Business Daily.

日本航空希望测试由最新 AI 模型驱动的人形机器人，是否能在无需专用工作站或对工作场所进行重大改造的情况下，更轻松地适应机场等人类工作环境。该航空公司的子公司 JAL 地面服务公司已与 GMO AI & Robotics Corporation 合作，共同监督此次演示。据《亚洲商业日报》报道，这些日本公司将测试来自中国宇树科技（Unitree Robotics）的 G1 机器人和优必选（UBTECH Robotics）的 Walker E 机器人。

Humanoid robots still typically cost tens of thousands of dollars per unit despite Chinese robotics manufacturers scaling up mass production, although the Unitree G1 robot costs as low as $13,500 for the baseline model. A new video from an apparently staged demonstration in an aircraft hangar shows one of the humanoid robots tottering up to a large, metal cargo container and making a vague pushing gesture. But the cargo container only begins to move once a human worker starts the conveyor belt to move the container toward the aircraft.

尽管中国机器人制造商正在扩大规模化生产，但人形机器人的单价通常仍需数万美元，不过宇树科技 G1 机器人的基础款售价已低至 13,500 美元。一段来自飞机库内演示的视频显示，其中一台人形机器人摇摇晃晃地走到一个大型金属货运集装箱前，做出了一个模糊的推搡动作。然而，只有当工作人员启动传送带将集装箱移向飞机时，集装箱才开始移动。

Presumably, the robots will need to put in much more effective work if they’re to prove as productive as human airport workers. Having robots working directly alongside humans will also introduce new safety considerations for airports like Haneda Airport, which is Japan’s second-largest airport, with flights arriving approximately every two minutes. The first step in the pilot program will involve identifying which airport areas will be safest for humanoid robots.

可以预见，如果机器人想要证明其生产力能与机场人类员工相媲美，它们还需要展现出更高效的工作能力。让机器人与人类直接并肩工作，也将为羽田机场这类繁忙的机场带来新的安全考量——羽田机场是日本第二大机场，平均每两分钟就有一架航班抵达。试点项目的第一步将是确定机场内哪些区域对人形机器人而言最为安全。

Cost-effective robotic assistance could prove welcome for Japan’s airports, which have struggled with a worsening human labor shortage. In December 2023, Tokyo’s Narita Airport was reportedly unable to respond to more than 30 percent of requested flights each week because of staff shortages involving cargo handlers and other ground crew, according to The Mainichi. Japanese government data showed that ground crew numbers across Japan fell from 26,300 to 23,700 between March 2019 and September 2023.

对于正深陷劳动力短缺困境的日本机场而言，高性价比的机器人辅助或许是一个受欢迎的解决方案。据《每日新闻》报道，2023 年 12 月，东京成田机场因货物搬运工和其他地勤人员短缺，每周无法响应超过 30% 的航班请求。日本政府数据显示，2019 年 3 月至 2023 年 9 月期间，日本全国地勤人员数量从 26,300 人下降至 23,700 人。