ROBO-HI Corporation began developing its walking-pace robot lineup (operating under 6 km/h on sidewalks and public roads) in 2016, and this year officially marks 10 years of development.
On this milestone, ROBO-HI shares the development journey of three robots — DeliRo®, RakuRo® and PATORO® — from machines once seen merely as a technological achievement to "companions in the city", with the goal of making robots part of the social infrastructure of the future.
THE DELIRO – RAKURO – PATORO WALKING-PACE ROBOT TRIO
Over many years, ROBO-HI has developed three robot lines with different roles to realise a society where humans and robots coexist:
- DeliRo® – an autonomous delivery robot.
- RakuRo® – a single-seat autonomous vehicle for personal mobility.
- PATORO® – a patrol and security-monitoring robot.
All three products have passed the Safety Standard Certification of the Japan Robot Delivery Association, allowing them to operate on public streets across Japan with only the notification procedure required by regulation.
BORN FROM THE DESIRE TO CREATE A MORE FRIENDLY ROBOT
The first prototypes were tested on the streets near ROBO-HI’s former headquarters in Koishikawa (Bunkyo, Tokyo).
Despite their modern, car-inspired design, many residents still found the robots "a little scary" or felt they "didn’t know what they were thinking".
ROBO-HI realised that for robots to blend into everyday life, advanced autonomous technology alone is not enough. More importantly, robots must feel approachable and close the psychological distance with people. From that insight, the entire design direction was changed.
TOWARDS A HUMBLE, FRIENDLY AND LOVABLE ROBOT
1. Communicating through eye contact
ROBO-HI has developed technology that lets robots not only avoid pedestrians but also express intent through the movement of their eyes.
The robots can detect the eye position of the person opposite them to establish eye contact, and even "blink" as a natural form of communication. The technology is patented in Japan, the United States, China, and South Korea.
As a result, the robots receive positive feedback such as "Their eyes are so cute!", proving that creating "expression" significantly reduces users’ hesitation.
2. Voice communication
To be usable by everyone, including people with visual impairments, the robots come with natural voice communication built in, making it easier for those nearby to notice and interact with them.
EXPANDING REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS
Today, the three walking-pace robots have been deployed at many locations across Japan — from operating on public roads in Nagoya, to being exhibited at the Chuden Electric Power Science Museum, to running at TAKANAWA GATEWAY CITY.
DeliRo® — Autonomous delivery robot
Automatically transports goods safely and accurately. DeliRo has completed a regular delivery trial on two consecutive public roads for the first time in Aichi Prefecture.
WEB: https://www.pref.aichi.jp/press-release/25sanrobo-robotjidouhaisou.html
Video: https://youtu.be/mkOVtZgc3T0?t=125
RakuRo® — Personal autonomous mobility
Provides comfortable mobility experiences for everyone. More than 800 visitors test-rode RakuRo at E-Tokyo Festival 2024, and the vehicle was also featured in the XR NIGHT SAFARI experience.
“E-Tokyo Festival 2024”: https://www.robo-hi.jp/news/pressrelease_20240408
“NIGHT SAFARI”: https://www.robo-hi.jp/news/pressrelease_20250807
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJWUr8SVs4s
PATORO® — Patrol robot
Uses AI Vision for unmanned patrol, helping improve facility-management efficiency and easing the security-staff workload.
WEB: https://www.robo-hi.jp/news/pressrelease_20220608
Video: https://youtu.be/fthFboJvS3s
TOWARDS THE FUTURE OF ROBOT INFRASTRUCTURE
Beyond real-world deployments, ROBO-HI’s robots are also used at many events to introduce autonomous technology and offer test-ride experiences to visitors.
Looking ahead, ROBO-HI will continue to advance the vision of "Robot as Social Infrastructure", combined with ROBO-HI® OS, to build smart cities where robots and humans work together — helping solve labour shortages and improve quality of life.
