Japan is once again pushing the boundaries of everyday technology, unveiling a new generation of remote-controlled robot avatars designed to assist shoppers at convenience stores during the upcoming 2025 Osaka Expo. As reported by The Times UK, these high-tech “newme” robots will feature the live faces of remote human operators to help customers navigate self-service tills and order custom-made treats — all while reducing the need for on-site staff.
The robots, which resemble a mobile stick topped with a screen, are part of a growing effort to fuse automation with personalized customer service. Developed by Japanese start-up Avatarin — a spin-off of airline ANA — and telecom giant NTT Communications, the 150cm-tall “newmes” are equipped with cameras, sensors, and a 10.1-inch screen that streams the face of a human operator. Staff working remotely can operate multiple robots simultaneously, offering help with ordering snacks like taiyaki waffles or sweet dango rice cakes, or simply guiding customers through self-checkouts and coffee machines.
The innovation doesn’t stop there. The futuristic 7-Eleven outlets at the NTT pavilion are also fitted with hydrogen-powered smoothie machines and energy-generating floors that harness the kinetic energy of walking shoppers — a showcase of Japan’s environmentally conscious, tech-driven retail future.
This blend of robotics and telepresence could prove to be more than just a novelty. Japan faces a well-documented demographic crisis, with its population dropping by a record 898,000 people in 2024 to 120.3 million. A shrinking and aging workforce has created acute labor shortages, prompting companies to find creative ways to maintain services while minimizing the need for physical staff.
Lawson, a rival convenience chain, has also adopted avatar-based customer service — albeit with a different twist. Since 2022, Lawson has deployed animated avatars on store screens that customers can interact with in up to 100 languages. Controlled by remote staff known as “Lawson Avatar Operators” (LAOs), these cartoon-like figures mimic the expressions and gestures of human operators who may be working from their homes — in Japan or as far away as Sweden and Brazil — to serve late-night shoppers in Tokyo and Osaka.
“We want to raise productivity by hiring people in places with large time differences with Japan, such as Brazil and New York,” Lawson’s president, Sadanobu Takemasu, told Nikkei. The technology is expected to reduce the time store staff spend on routine checkout duties and enhance multilingual support.
These innovations reflect Japan’s broader strategy to maintain high service standards amid demographic pressures. And with more than 21,000 7-Eleven locations across the country, the shift toward robotic avatars could soon be a familiar sight for millions of Japanese consumers.
Interestingly, the “newme” robots have had surprising past uses as well — including serving as stand-ins at pandemic-era graduation ceremonies, where they were dressed in mortarboards and gowns to let students participate virtually.
As Japan continues to embrace futuristic retail experiences, the line between man and machine is becoming ever more seamless — and more human, in its own way.
