UberEats to start robot deliveries in Japan
Listen to the story (American English)
UberEats, a popular food delivery service, will soon use special robots to deliver food in Tokyo.
UberEats has teamed up with Mitsubishi Electric and a robotics company called Cartken, to launch the food delivery robots. These robots will start working on the sidewalks of Tokyo next month.
This is the first time UberEats will use robots for delivery outside the United States. But in Japan, robots are not new. Many restaurants there have been using robots for years.
The robots, called Model C, are made by Cartken. They will carry the food and use sidewalks on their way to customers. Mitsubishi Electric will supervise operations.
The Model C uses special cameras and AI to understand where it is and where it needs to go. It is designed to be safe on the sidewalks and moves about as fast as a person walking. The robot can avoid things in their way, stop for people walking, and even stop at traffic lights.
The robots also have a special box to keep the food at the right temperature.
UberEats and Cartken have already used these robots in Miami, Florida and Fairfax, Virginia, in the US.
Japan has an aging population and not enough workers. It’s a difficult situation for delivery services. Shoji Tanaka, a senior manager at Mitsubishi Electric, thinks robot delivery can help with this problem. He hopes this new project will make robot delivery more common in Japan.
In the future, they plan to use robots to deliver inside buildings and factories, too.
Vocabulary22 words
- Delivery
- the act or process of bringing goods, letters, etc., to a place or person; transport
- Delivery service
- A business/company that brings things to people’s homes or offices;
- Robot
- A machine that can do tasks by itself; ?
- Team up
- To work together with someone; When two or more people or groups work together on something
- Launch
- start selling something; introduce a new product or service; to start using a new thing
- Sidewalk
- A path for people to walk on next to a road; The path/way next to the street for people to walk on
- Customer
- A person who buys things from a store or business
- Supervise
- To watch over and guide someone or something; to watch someone/something and make sure it works correctly
- Operations
- business activities and processes; activities involved in a company producing goods or delivering services;
- Artificial intelligence (AI)
- human intelligence in a machine. See more here.
- Design
- to make for a special task or job; do or plan (something) with a specific purpose in mind;
- Avoid
- stay away from; keep away; try not to do
- Traffic light
- A signal with red, yellow, and green lights that tells drivers when to stop and go; ??
- Temperature
- A measure of how hot or cold something is; we usually measure temperature in degrees Celcius or Farenheit
- Age
- to grow old; to make/cause someone to look older
- Population
- all the people living in a particular country, area, or place
- Enough
- Having what is needed or sufficient; plenty; a good amount; abundant
- Situation
- What is happening at a certain place/time; circumstance; state of affairs; the way it is; event; occurrence
- Senior
- Someone who is older or higher in rank; someone with more or longer experience at a company
- Project
- A planned and organized task or job; A planned piece of work that has a specific purpose;
- Common
- usual; occurring or appearing frequently; something that happens often or is normal;
- Factory
- a large building where things are made or produced
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
UberEats, a _____ food delivery service, will soon use special robots to deliver _____ in Tokyo.
UberEats has _____ up with Mitsubishi Electric and a robotics company called Cartken, to _____ the food delivery robots. These robots will start _____ on the sidewalks of Tokyo next month.
This is the first _____ UberEats will use robots for delivery outside the United _____. But in Japan, robots are not new. Many _____ there have been using robots for years.
The robots, called _____ C, are made by Cartken. They will carry the food and use _____ on their way to customers. Mitsubishi Electric will _____ operations.
The Model C uses special _____ and AI to understand where it is and where it needs to go. It is _____ to be safe on the sidewalks and moves about as _____ as a person walking. The robot can avoid _____ in their way, stop for people walking, and even stop at _____ lights.
The robots also have a _____ box to keep the food at the right temperature.
UberEats and Cartken _____ already used these robots in Miami, Florida and Fairfax, Virginia, _____ the US.
Japan has an aging population and not _____ workers. It’s a difficult situation for delivery services. Shoji Tanaka, a _____ manager at Mitsubishi Electric, thinks robot delivery can help with this _____. He hopes this new project will make robot _____ more common in Japan.
In the future, they _____ to use robots to deliver inside buildings and factories, _____.
Discussion questions
- Do you think robot delivery is a good solution for busy cities like Tokyo? Why or why not?
- What are some potential challenges of using robots for deliveries?
- Do you believe robots can completely replace human delivery workers? Why or why not?
- How do you feel about the increasing use of AI and robots in everyday life?
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