Humanoid Begins Station Guidance Trial in Osaka, Exploring How Robots Can Work Alongside People

Trial explores how humanoids can interact with passengers and work alongside station staff in everyday transit operations 

AVITA Inc., Osaka Metro Co., Ltd. and KDDI Corporation today launched a field trial of a humanoid for customer service and station guidance at Umeda and Tanimachi-kyuchome stations in Osaka, Japan.

Working alongside station staff, the humanoid assists passengers with subway transfers, station navigation and information about nearby attractions. It supports multiple languages and communicates through natural dialogue, facial expressions, eye contact and gestures.

The trial places the humanoid in daily station operations, where it will interact with commuters, tourists and other passengers with a wide range of information needs. The companies will evaluate passenger acceptance and operational challenges as the humanoid works alongside station staff.

AVITA’s role in the trial includes the development of the humanoid, communication technologies and dialogue systems.

Why Now: AI Is Changing What Humanoids Can Do

Advances in generative AI and real-time dialogue technologies are enabling humanoids to respond more naturally and flexibly to individual questions and conversational contexts.

A physical body also adds another dimension to human-AI interaction. Rather than communicating only through a screen or voice interface, a humanoid can use eye contact, facial expressions and gestures to interact with people in the same physical space.

The Osaka trial brings these capabilities into a public environment used by a wide range of people every day.

Its dialogue system incorporates Google’s Gemini¹ generative AI model and detects nuances in speech, including speaking speed, intonation and emotion, in real time, enabling natural and responsive communication with low latency.

¹ Gemini is a trademark of Google LLC.

Trial Overview

The humanoid provides:

• Subway transfer and station guidance

• Route maps and transfer route guidance

• Information and recommendations for nearby attractions

• Multilingual assistance for international visitors

• Smartphone access to route information via QR Code²

The trial will be conducted at the following locations:

August 31 – September 6, 2026
Metro Opus Umeda

Immediately outside the North Gate of Umeda Station on the Osaka Metro Midosuji Line

September 9 – September 15, 2026
Metro Opus Tanimachi-kyuchome East

On the east side of the East Gate of Tanimachi-kyuchome Station on the Osaka Metro Tanimachi and Sennichimae Lines

Operating hours: 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. daily
August 31 only: 1:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

 ² QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED in Japan and in other countries.

Expanding from Dialogue to Mobility and Physical Tasks

This trial focuses on human-robot interaction, while future trials will expand into mobility and physical tasks such as inspection.

Building on human-AI communication technologies developed through its CG avatar business, AVITA is extending its expertise into robotics. The company aims to advance Physical AI that can interact with people, move through physical environments and perform operational tasks, contributing to a future in which humans and robots can work together.

About AVITA Inc.

AVITA develops technologies and services in avatars, AI, robotics and Physical AI. Building on its expertise in human-AI communication developed through CG avatars, the company is expanding into robotics and developing technologies that enable people, AI and robots to interact and work together across a range of operational settings.
https://avita.co.jp/en