Okumura Gumi Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Abeno-ku, Osaka), a major general construction company, will open a new office called "Cross Innovation Center" in October 2023 as a base for cross-disciplinary exchange and collaboration with engineers from industry, government, academia, and the private sector. opened right next to JR Tokyo Station. At the time of opening, we introduced temi V10.

Mr. Koichi Inadome (Director of Innovation, Technology Strategy Department, Technology Headquarters and Manager of DX/Innovation Section), who was in charge of launching the Cross Innovation Center and decided to introduce temi V3, and Mr. Fujiko Osumi, a member of the temi V3 introduction and utilization study team. In this article, we interviewed Risa Kurosaki and Momoka Shinohara about the background of its introduction.

Background of introduction: Looking toward a society where robots are familiar

______ What led you to introduce temi V3?

Mr. Inadome:
When opening a new office,I wanted to introduce something new, so I started considering the introduction of robots.

When introducing robots, they are not limited to uses such as security or cleaning, and can be customized to a certain extent.I vaguely thought that something that could be used for multiple purposes would be good.

Mr. Inadome (Director of Innovation, Technology Strategy Department, Technology Headquarters and Manager of DX/Innovation Section)

______ Meanwhile, you came across temi, which was on display at iPresence.

Mr. Inadome:
yes. Temi was introduced as a remote communication robot at the exhibition.I felt that it does not only specialize in remote communication.temi is equipped with a camera and can patrol while detecting obstacles along the set route.We thought that there might be various uses that take advantage of this function.

______ With the opening of the new office, temi operations have begun.

Mr. Inadome:
This office has the concept of ``a base for creating the future of people and technology.'' We are starting a new initiative here, but we believe that we will not be able to create anything unless people change first. In anticipation of a society in the near future in which robots are commonplace, we will firstBy introducing and experiencing robots, I would like to explore how I can be involved in the future.thinking about. In this way, I believe that people can change by responding flexibly to changes in the times.

Start of implementation: As we started implementing it within the company, ideas were generated one after another.

______ How to implementDid you proceed?

Mr. Inadome:
After finding it at an exhibition,I immediately rented a demo unit from iPresence for a week.Recruit young members from other departmentsWe decided to form an "Introduction and Utilization Study Team" to discuss the use of Temi within the company.

Mr. Osumi, Introduction and Utilization Study Team:
I was told, ``I'll be renting it for a week, so find a way to use it,'' and I tried various things. At first, I only envisioned temi being equipped with measuring equipment and having it patrol the office to collect data, but after trying it out, I came up with a variety of ideas.After seeing how it detects and avoids obstacles, I think it could be used for office tours.I felt that.

From left: Mr. Inadome, Mr. Osumi and Mr. Shinohara from the introduction and utilization study team

_____ First, by actually using it, you came up with ideas for how to use it.

Mr. Inadome:
After coming up with the idea of ​​using it for office tours, we decided to introduce temi. However, if it was only used for office tours, there would be a lot of time when it would not be in use, so when I was looking for other ways to use it, I received a further proposal.

Mr. Shinohara, Introduction and Utilization Study Team:
We purposely do not have a clock installed in this office, but we received a request from our employees to at least be able to tell the time, so we proposed running a temi instead of a time signal.At certain times in the morning, noon, and evening, Temi moves around the office and tells you the time.The music and temi decorations during the tour change according to the season.

From left: Mr. Inadome, Mr. Kurosaki and Mr. Shinohara from the introduction and utilization study team

Mr. Inadome:
By using it like this, hereWe want employees working on the floor to feel that the existence of robots is natural.That's what I think. and,Being able to suggest various ideas such as "Maybe it would be good to have Temi do something like this"I hope. First, we have a cross-department review team that repeatedly devise and implement new ways to utilize the information.

______ You'll come up with a lot of ideas for how to use it.

Mr. Inadome:
I agree.laterIt would be great if it could be useful in an emergency.For example, even when general affairs, human resources, and facility management personnel are unable to come to the office due to a natural disaster, by pressing a button on your smartphone, temi will patrol the designated area to check for any abnormalities in the office. It is used to check. Additionally, if an employee working alone in an office falls ill due to a sudden illness, it could be life-threatening if the illness is detected late.temi conducts surveillance patrols and provides initial response to confirm safety.As a manager, I would be very grateful if I could do this.

Voices from members of the temi introduction and utilization study team

_____ How do you feel about being involved in the introduction of temi?

Mr. Shinohara, Introduction and Utilization Study Team:
The audio guide for Temi's office tour was recorded in my voice. In this office, employees from three departments with whom I had little interaction in the past were working on one floor and in free addresses, so I didn't know many of them and had no chance to talk to them. However, when the audio guide for the office tour at temi was played, I thought, ``This voice is Shinohara's voice.''I am now being approached by employees who I have never talked to before.

Introduction/Utilization Study Team Mr. Shinohara

Mr. Osumi, Introduction and Utilization Study Team:
I am in charge of temi settings. The people at iPresence were very supportive, which helped me a lot.temi has various functions to make your ideas concrete.All that was left to do was think about how to use it, so I enjoyed it.

Introduction/Utilization Study Team Mr. Osumi

Mr. Kurosaki, Introduction and Utilization Study Team:
For small face-to-face meetings (about 2 to 4 people), temi's telepresence is available.■By utilizing the functions (video chat + remote control),Through temi, you can participate in meetings as if you were actually there, even if you are in a remote location.I feel that if screen sharing with temi could be made even smoother, I would be able to take full advantage of this feature.
*A general term for technology that allows you to feel as if you are sharing the same space face-to-face even when you are in a remote location.

Introduction/Utilization Study Team Mr. Kurosaki

Summary

The interview revealed that temi V3 is playing an active role as "a step towards the future of working with robots." We are pleased to hear comments that the change in awareness about robots within the company has been promoted, and that communication among employees has become more active. As for future prospects, we have been told that we are aiming to create a system that will further expand the scope of its use. We would be happy if we could continue to support you with our iPresence and help realize further utilization.