Panasonic HD to Provide a Mobile Robot Vending Service, PIMTO, That Assists Supported Employment

Osaka, Japan, October 29, 2024 – Panasonic Holdings Corporation (hereinafter referred to as Panasonic HD) today announced that it will provide a mobile robot vending service, PIMTO, using remotely operated robots for unmanned sales in Shinjuku Gyoen (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment, from November 7 to December 8, 2024.

Since its opening to the public in 1949, Shinjuku Gyoen has welcomed approximately 100 million visitors. In recent years, due to the increase in inbound tourism, the park recorded a historic high of over 2.5 million visitors in FY2023. With the number of visitors expected to continue increasing, it is essential to further enhance visitor satisfaction while maintaining the quality of the service provided in the garden. To that end, Panasonic HD will conduct field trials using mobile robot vending to increase opportunities for visitors to purchase products that showcase the charm of Shinjuku Gyoen. The vending service also aims to assist supported employment, contributing to universal design from a work perspective. To allow as many people as possible to experience these trials, the service will also be available on partial days during the Chrysanthemum Flower Beds Exhibition (period: November 1 to 15, 2024) and the Orchid Exhibition (period: November 19 to 24, 2024).

Panasonic HD will provide unmanned vending robots that can increase the number of sales outlets without the need for construction, while preserving the garden's scenery and natural environment. These robots are mobile and can flexibly change their locations for vending based on fluctuations in demand, such as those caused by the season, weather, or events. Since there is no need to continuously move robots within the garden, it was concluded that autonomous travel or advanced preparation for that purpose would not be necessary. As a result, the remote operation of robots will be conducted solely through manual control, considering its cost advantages in terms of the robot units and service operations.

Considering that many overseas tourists visit Shinjuku Gyoen, Panasonic HD will conduct marketing surveys to identify the needs of inbound customers, provide support for planning product offerings, and develop the planning and specifications of robots to enhance the value of their purchasing experience. The products to be vended are jointly planned and developed with the National Gardens Association, Mashup Inc., and Dentsu Inc. under the name "OYATSU (Snacks) in Shinjuku Gyoen," showcasing and communicating the charm of Shinjuku Gyoen.

Panasonic HD is promoting universal design from a work perspective, aiming to create an environment where people with disabilities or mental health concerns can visit and stay at Shinjuku Gyoen more conveniently, while also making it easier for them to participate in service operations. As part of these efforts, the Company will collaborate with welfare facilities to manage the movement of sales outlets through remote control of robots and handle the packaging of the products to be vended.

In terms of service operations, Panasonic HD will develop and provide the operational support app "PIMTO UI," which will enable simple and smooth tasks such as stock replenishment, product replacement, and requests for robot travel. In addition, the Company will adopt drive chassis parts provided by TIS INTEC Group (TIS Inc.) for the robots and utilize the accompanying software linked to the chassis to enable remote control of the robots in use and confirm their location information.

The service may be suspended due to weather conditions or other reasons.

Panasonic HD's Mobility Business Strategy Office is promoting efforts aimed at revitalizing people, communities, and the globe by rethinking the concept of mobility, beginning with people's everyday lives. The MOPTIMO project, led by the Mobility Business Strategy Office, which is developing PIMTO, tackles efforts to achieve this goal through the optimization of travel distances for people and goods. Through the operations of PIMTO in Shinjuku Gyoen, the project will assess customer value, cost estimates, and operational feasibility to determine the service provision price, aiming for a full-scale launch of the service in the future. The project seeks to integrate individual optimization for each customer with the overall optimization of robot-related development and manufacturing, fostering market growth and the prompt realization of full-scale service.

When considering the relationship between travel distances covered by people and the richness of their lives, short travel distances can lead to economic stagnation, while excessive travel distances can result in discomfort from crowded trains, wasted time from waiting, and the risk of traffic accidents. Therefore, there is not necessarily a linear relationship between the two. This project is advancing social implementation in use cases directly related to societal issues, such as addressing food and beverage supply shortages in tourist areas and urban regions, and supporting the shopping needs of the elderly in rural areas.
In collaboration with local governments, urban-related companies, and tourism-related businesses, the project has developed the PIMTO service, which utilizes mobile robot vending machines operated by remotely controlled small vehicles.
PIMTO enables product sellers to pinpoint the optimal sales location each time and accurately target potential purchasers, thereby enhancing sales for sellers while optimizing the travel of purchasers. The service name PIMTO is derived from an anagram of MOPTIMO, where the "N" in "PINTO," meaning "focus" in Japanese, is replaced with "M" for mobility, reflecting the concept of improving both sales for sellers and the mobility of purchasers