Robot team set to clean up at the Tokyo Olympics -- in between serving drinks and guiding guests

Acting on its aim to make the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics "the most innovative in history," organizers on Friday unveiled robots that will be deployed to assist spectators and staff during the games. The robots shown to reporters are to be used as part of the Tokyo 2020 Robot Project, as the games' organizers see the event as a chance to showcase how the country's robot technology focuses on practicality rather than just entertainment. The Human Support Robot and Delivery Support Robot, developed by Toyota Motor Corp., will be used in tandem to assist visitors using wheelchairs. HSR, a one-armed robot about a meter in height, can hold objects, pick things up off the ground and reach high up. It can move by itself or can be controlled remotely as it attends to people in wheelchairs, guiding them to their seats and helping carry items.