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Meet the Japanese Robot Who Stocks Drinks at the Corner Store Robot TX SCARA, aka GORDON, is lending a helping hand, literally.

By Sam Silverman Edited by Jessica Thomas

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

A Tokyo chain has found a helping hand in the form of a robot named TX SCARA, which is helping stock shelves at FamilyMart convenience stores. The robot, which has a clip-like hand to grasp cans and bottles, lives behind refrigerated shelves and uses artificial intelligence to restock beverages by sliding from the stockpile to each item's appropriate display.

TX SCARA, which also goes by GORDON, is programmed to know the right place for each product, according to maker Telexistence, per AP News. GORDON can stock up to 1,000 cans and bottles a day and fills a role for workers who want to be on the floor with customers and not stocking products in a cold back room.

"We want to automate all the repetitive jobs and boring jobs done by humans," Telexistence chief executive Jin Tomioka told the outlet. "That is the direction we are going. And the best way to do that is to use the robots."

GORDON can be programmed to work in any store layout and can be remotely controlled by Microsoft cloud computing service Azure. Telexistence operators wear virtual reality glasses and can troubleshoot issues with the robot without even being in the store.

As the labor shortage continues to impact businesses around the world, "We are seeking a robot's arm for help," FamilyMart executive officer Tomohiro Kano says.

Sam Silverman

Content Strategy Editor

Sam Silverman is a content strategy editor at Entrepreneur Media. She specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), and her work can be found in The US Sun, Nicki Swift, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style and Health. She writes for our news team with a focus on investigating scandals. Her coverage and expertise span from business news, entrepreneurship, technology, and true crime, to the latest in entertainment and TV news. Sam is a graduate of Lehigh University and currently resides in NYC. 

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