This article is part of the results of The Biggest Fleet 2024. Click here for all results

How did you get into cleaning robotics?

I’m currently the head of the Business Innovation Division at Obayashi Corporation. Our division creates new business opportunities and expands the Obayashi Group’s portfolio. So far, we’ve spun out three companies. One, PLiBOT, provides robotic solutions for the construction and manufacturing industries. Oprizon, Ltd., offers smart building services, including networking systems, meeting automation, and energy usage tracking. We recently launched a new data center project team, and there are 20-30 ongoing projects under my leadership. Our goal is to spin out one or two companies each year.

The construction industry faces a labor shortage due to a declining and aging population, making robotic solutions crucial for boosting productivity. However, deploying robots on construction sites remains challenging. To address this, we launched a company to develop robotic technology for construction, manufacturing, and other sectors. Our solution involves robots moving materials overnight, optimizing the 24-hour work cycle by synchronizing human labor with robotics. We also created a platform to control robots and construction site equipment, ensuring efficient coordination. Initially, we‘ll focus on stable industries like manufacturing to avoid the seasonal demand fluctuations in construction. Once established, we plan to expand into the construction sector.

Do you have robots at home?

Yes, a Cleanfix Navi S170.

How does your company go about bringing
cleaning robots to market?

In construction, safety starts with keeping the site clean. We’ve been taught that a clean site is essential for safety because it allows workers to see alignment and avoid hazards. In Japan, this is a fundamental part of our construction approach. However, it’s often difficult to find labor for cleaning tasks, so we’re exploring using robots to handle this instead. Robotics is one of our initial trials to improve safety and efficiency on construction sites.

Do you have a strategic approach for monitoring the market, seeing what new robots exist, and how to test them?

We’ve established close relationships with two to three venture capital firms, and we regularly meet to exchange information about startups and their robotic solutions. When we have POC opportunities, we offer construction sites for our own use and our subsidiaries, including those in the U.S. and Southeast Asia. This allows us to test and evaluate which robots are ready for deployment on construction sites.

Where can we find the largest fleets in your market and why?

Robots are typically used during off-hours, like after 5:00 p.m., as it’s still uncommon to see them working during regular hours. Extensive facilities such as airports or race tracks are ideal environments for robots, as they cover vast areas. Deploying human workers in these spaces would require hiring many people, making robots a more efficient solution with lower switching costs. Another use case is in environments with challenging conditions, such as a beer factory, where dust or other particles are constantly in the air, and cleaning the floor is difficult. In such situations, robots can perform well, effectively maintaining cleanliness in these specialized environments.

How about other markets? For example, hospitals and healthcare in general?

Currently, robots are not yet used in hospitals, particularly in Japan, due to constraints like the high-rise nature of urban hospitals. However, the demand for robots in healthcare is high, especially with the aging population and labor shortages. Tasks like moving patients between beds or assisting elderly individuals with daily activities are physically demanding for staff, and robots could help alleviate this burden. Additionally, strict cleaning protocols in hospitals, especially in virus-sensitive environments, create another area where robots could be helpful. Overall, the need for robotic solutions in healthcare is significant.

How would you describe your market compared to other markets or continents?

When I visited a hospital in Singapore, I saw widespread use of robots, which was quite impressive. The critical difference is that the government actively supports and incentivizes using robots, which has helped accelerate their adoption in startups. I wish the Japanese government would implement similar initiatives. I also visited China, where government policy played a significant role in driving the growth of startups. Many companies there emphasized that aligning their solutions with government policies was crucial for success. Since robotics is still an emerging technology, government and organizational support is essential for market growth. Another critical factor is the mindset and process change required to integrate robots. Robots aren’t meant to replace humans entirely but to work alongside them. Adapting work processes to leverage what robots can do while allowing humans to focus on tasks they’re better suited for is crucial in successfully adopting robotic solutions.

In which terms is the North American or European mindset different from the Asian or Japanese mindset?

The mindset around robotics differs significantly across regions. In the U.S., there’s an aggressive approach—once the benefits of a robot are clear, they adopt it quickly. In contrast, Japan tends to be more cautious and risk-averse, especially regarding uncertainty. For example, there’s a strong focus on potential issues like robots accidentally injuring people or damaging property. Even if the risk is low, Japan is more reluctant to move forward without solid evidence that such problems are doubtful. Conversely, Europe strikes a balance between the U.S. and Japan with a more strategic approach to robotics adoption. They tend to be more measured and thoughtful, incorporating robots in a way that aligns with long-term goals while managing risks.

How far are we from the widespread
introduction of cleaning robots? What will
“The Biggest Fleet” tell us in one year, five years,
ten years?

I believe Japan will experience significant changes in the next five to ten years, especially as the population continues to decline and the birth rate decreases. Japan has already reached a demographic turning point, and the population will likely continue to shrink over the next few decades. The construction industry is bustling, partly due to the rapid economic growth in the 1970s and 1980s, which led to significant infrastructure investments. Many of these facilities are now aging and in need of replacement. This creates an opportunity for private owners and the government to rebuild or upgrade infrastructure, a trend that should continue over the next five to ten years. Facility owners should replace old infrastructure and rethink how to manage it more efficiently. In the future, maintenance tasks like cleaning could be automated with robots, and data could be managed smarter, using software to monitor and control facilities more effectively. So, while these changes are still emerging, I think they’ll become more widespread in the next five to ten years.

What are the biggest obstacles that cleaning
robots have to overcome?

Pricing is definitely a key challenge for selling robots, particularly when it comes to replacement costs. We‘re always concerned about how to make the robots affordable while maintaining quality. However, there‘s a trade-off: the more units we sell, the more we can reduce the cost per robot. The real challenge is finding early adopters—users who are excited about the idea and ready to embrace the solution quickly. When it comes to cleaning robots, the main complexity lies in the user interface. Even if customers love the solution, daily users like janitors often aren‘t familiar with computers or robotics. Simplifying these processes will be vital to improving the overall user experience. So, the interface needs to be as simple and intuitive as possible. It would be ideal if we could make it easy for them to understand how to use the robot without needing specialized knowledge.

What’s next in cleaning robotics? What is the following discipline of cleaning automation after vacuuming and wet mopping?

One area I find particularly interesting is using robots to clean narrow spaces like pipes and tubes. This is a real challenge in Japan due to the aging infrastructure, particularly water and sewage pipes installed many years ago. Maintaining these pipes is a significant burden for the government, and cleaning robots could offer a potential solution. If such robots were developed, they could attract considerable attention from government agencies dealing with these infrastructure issues.

This article is part of the results of The Biggest Fleet 2024. Click here for all results