East Japan Railway has said it will launch a trial in April of a system that uses artificial intelligence to monitor pantographs on trains running on its busy Yamanote Line in Tokyo to detect defects at an early stage. The railway operator, known as JR East, also plans to use drones to inspect overhead wires and other infrastructure, aiming to reduce the time required to resume operations by 30% when transport service disruptions occur due to equipment problems. Cameras to monitor pantographs, which are located on the roof of a train car and connect the carriage to overheard electrical wires, will be installed near Shimbashi, Ebisu, Mejiro and Uguisudani stations in the capital, the company said Tuesday. The AI system will analyze the images in real time, and if damage is detected, it will notify the control room or other relevant sections. Drones will be dispatched later to inspect overhead wires and other equipment, facilitating faster restoration work.

One of Japan's largest railway companies wants fully self-driving bullet trains speeding through the country by the mid-2030's. According to East Japan Railway (JR East), at least one prototype will debut in 2028. The company revealed its plans on September 10, citing hopes to both streamline its operations and make them more sustainable. Japan's iconic Shinkansen railines, more commonly known as bullet trains, have been a staple of the nation's high-speed public transportation routes for over half a century. Traveling as fast as 300 km per hour (roughly 186 mph), the trains weave throughout the country's major urban areas, and are now completely electric as well as more lightweight than earlier models. According to The Japan Times, self-driving bullet trains have been a part of JR East's overall plans since at least 2018, when the company presented its "Transformation 2027" project framework.

East Japan Railway Co. has suspended the addition of released prisoners to its list of people tracked at its train stations by security cameras using facial recognition technology, after it started the practice this summer, it was learned Wednesday. JR East suspended the tracking due to concerns over invasions of privacy from outside the company, company officials said. According to JR East, the cameras were set up at its stations in July as part of strengthened security for the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. Those subject to JR East's tracking were suspicious people wandering around stations, wanted suspects and released prisoners and parolees who had committed serious crimes at the company's stations and inside its trains. JR East received information on the discharged prisoners and others from the Public Prosecutors Office under a system that notifies victims and managers of places where a crime occurred of a perpetrator's release from prison. After obtaining such information, the company was going to consider whether to register their face photos on its database.

East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) will start testing fully autonomous robotic baristas this December to serve coffee at its Tokyo and Yokohama stations, in a tie-up with a Singaporean retail technology startup. The company said the planned test-marketing involves the Ella robotic barista system developed by Crown Technologies Holding Pte. Ltd., which has had a business partnership with the railway operator since late last year. The unmanned system serves coffee through an automated ordering, serving and cashless payment process. It can serve more than 200 types of blended coffee and allows customers to use dedicated apps and railway-related IC cards for payment. JR East expects the upcoming market research at two of the busiest stations in Japan to pave the way for it to provide loyal customers with customized coffee by using artificial intelligence analysis of their preferences.

East Japan Railway Co. unveiled Monday autonomous disinfection and mobility robots at its recently opened high-tech station in Tokyo, as it aims to introduce them by March 2025. The cleaning robot, which was developed by Nippon Signal Co. and Cyberdyne Inc., sanitizes handrails, benches and other parts of Takanawa Gateway Station by spraying disinfectant. The artificial-intelligence equipped robot, Clinabo CL02, uses three-dimensional cameras and sensors to avoid obstacles. JR East said it is considering using the robot and other disinfection robots to be introduced later to sanitize the inside of train cars in the future. In another demonstration, a robot that looks like a Yamanote Line train car served coffee in a conference room at the station. Other robots that carry luggage, food and drinks, as well as personal mobility vehicles for transporting people inside and around the station are also being operated on a trial basis as part of a project showcasing the area around the new station.

East Japan Railway Co. on Monday unveiled autonomous disinfection and mobility robots at its recently opened high-tech station in Tokyo, as it aims to introduce them by March 2025. The cleaning robot, which was developed by Nippon Signal Co. and Cyberdyne Inc., sanitizes handrails, benches and other parts of Takanawa Gateway Station by spraying disinfectant. The artificial-intelligence equipped robot, Clinabo CL02, uses three-dimensional cameras and sensors to avoid obstacles. JR East said it is considering using the robot, and other disinfection robots to be introduced later, to sanitize the inside of train cars in the future. In another demonstration, a robot that looks like a Yamanote Line train car served coffee in a conference room at the station.

A soba noodle-cooking robot started serving hungry commuters at a Tokyo train station on Monday, in yet another example of Japan's shift to automation as labor remains in short supply. The robot has been introduced on a trial basis at Higashikoganei station on the Chuo Line, operated by East Japan Railway Co. (JR East). JR East said it would let the robot cook during a trial period through April 15 to determine whether it can function well enough and meet the expectations of its noodle-loving customers. Developed by Connected Robotics Inc., based in Koganei, the robot can boil up to three serves of soba noodles at once before rinsing them in cold water. Once cooked, a human has to plate them on the robot's behalf.

Railway operators in the Tokyo area are in the final stages of preparations for the Olympics and Paralympics this summer. East Japan Railway Co., or JR East, is scheduled to open a new station on its Yamanote Line for the first time in 49 years in March. Takanawa Gateway Station, located close to a public viewing event site for the Olympics, is expected to be used by many passengers during the quadrennial sports event. JR East touts Takanawa Gateway as a "future station" that showcases cutting-edge Japanese technologies such as an autonomous security robot and a convenience store without shop assistants. By the end of this month, all train cars for the Yamanote Line will have space available for wheelchair users.

NAGOYA – More and more unmanned cleaning robots have been introduced in Japan, mainly at public transportation facilities amid severe labor shortages. Faced with difficulties securing enough workers, Central Japan Railway Co. started using four robots this year to clean Nagoya Station and other locations, hoping that using the robots, expected to cover most of the necessary cleaning work, will help save on labor costs. In the wee hours, automated robots scrub the floors at Nagoya Station with water. In February, two robots joined 50 workers to do cleaning work. "We can reduce the cost of hiring and training," a JR Central official said.

East Japan Railway Co. said Tuesday a robotic guide utilizing artificial intelligence and an unstaffed convenience store will feature at a new station slated to open in Tokyo in April 2020. JR East hopes to make Takanawa Gateway Station on the Yamanote Line a model for its future stations by using cutting-edge technology, officials said. The new station is expected to attract many visitors because a public viewing site will be established there for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. The robot and digital signs will provide station information in four languages: Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. The station will also employ autonomous patrol and cleaning robots on a trial basis until September next year.