SII2021 Workshop on FCSC

Overview

Objective

Robot technology is expected to be applied to provide various services in homes, stores, public facilities and so on. However, if we just talk about homes, different homes have different layouts and require different services, which is a major factor increasing cost and technical issues. In contrast, convenience stores provide services with huge networks of chain stores worldwide. The store environments and services are standardized, so the problems mentioned above do not apply. On the other hand, it is a labor-intensive industry where store clerks do many tasks, so automation by robot technology is expected to bring huge benefits. At the same time, it is expected that technology will allow the creation of new services that were previously difficult to provide.

To create a new world where robot technology and employees work together to provide services to customers, we need to not only solve the technical issues, but also consider new services and store design that will become possible by the introduction of robot technology. Therefore, FCSC (Future Convenience Store Contest) has been started with two categories: a design category and a technical category. The technical category has been held as trial events for the World Robot Summit since 2017 by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Holding the trial events in three consecutive years was extremely important to encourage further development of technology by aiming to achieve the challenges (updated every year!). The competition of WRS FCSC was originally planned in 2020, but it postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19. Therefore, the workshop will provide a great opportunity for the participants to present their technical achievement and have a focused discussion on innovative topics related with FCSC.

Aims
  • To share technical achievements and experiences on FCSC and
  • To share the latest update of the regulations of FCSC
Topics
  • Manipulation systems
  • Vision systems
  • Object recognition
  • Object grasping and handling
  • Autonomous motion planning and navigation
  • Service Robots
  • Robot Companions and Social Robots in Convenience Store Environments
  • Observation of Human Activity in Convenience Store Environments
  • Sensor Networks
  • Structuralization of Environmental Information

Program

Part 1: Introduction of WRS FCSC 2020
10:00 – 10:10 Opening

Prof. Kazuyoshi Wada, General Chair of FCSC, Tokyo Metropolitan University
10:30 – 10:50 Overview of WRS FCSC 2020

Dr. Noriaki Ando, Technology Division Chair of FCSC, AIST
10:30 – 10:50 Stock and Disposal Task

Prof. Kenichi Ohara, Stock and Disposal Task Chair of FCSC, Meijo University
10:50 – 11:10 Customer Interaction Task

Prof. Mihoko Niitsuma, Customer Interaction Task Chair of FCSC, Chuo University
11:10 – 11:30 Restroom Cleaning Task

Prof. Kazuyoshi Wada, GC and Restroom Cleaning Task Chair of FCSC, Tokyo Metropolitan University
11:30 – 11:45 Q&A and discussion

 

Part2: Technology of WRS FCSC
13:00 – 13:30 Team 1: U.T.T.

“Robot development in a short period of time by Team U.T.T.”
Dr. Daisuke Yamamoto, TOSHIBA CORPORATION
13:30 – 14:00 Team 2: Hi-KCCT

“A mobile dual-arm robot for stocking and disposing task in the competition of WRS FCSC”
Dr. Ryo Sakai, Hitachi, Ltd.
14:00 – 14:30 Team 3: NAIST-RITS-Panasonic

“Toward WRS 2020: Lessons learned in the Future Convenience Store Challenge 2018 and 2019”
Prof. Gustavo Garcia, Nara Institute of Science and Technology
14:40 – 15:10 Team 4: Team Meijo

“Champion’s Challenge for Future Convenience Store Robots”
Prof. Tsuyoshi Tasaki, Meujo University
15:10 – 15:40 Team 5: HARChuo

“Introduction of Intelligent Space(iSpace) into convenience stores – Proposal of a system for sales promotion, labor saving, and watching – ”
Mr. Gakushi Maruyama, Chuo University
15:40 – 16:10 Team 6: TAK

“Team TAK’s Approach to the WRS FCSC”
Mr. Masashi Seki,  Tokyo Metropolitan University
16:10 – 16:20 Break
16:20 – 16:50 Open Discussion