Mitsubishi Electric Building Solutions Corp. is conducting a demonstration project in an apartment building in Higashi Ward, Fukuoka City, to integrate elevators with robots.
The initiative envisions use cases such as shopping assistance, garbage disposal, parcel delivery and receipt, and the transport of heavy items, with the aim of verifying the efficiency gains and automation potential of autonomous mobile robots moving within buildings.
An autonomous mobile robot shares an elevator with a resident during a demonstration project in a Fukuoka apartment building.
The demonstration, which will run through January 2026, is being carried out by three companies: Preferred Robotics, Daiei Sangyo, and Mitsubishi Electric Building Solutions. The project links Preferred Robotics’ autonomous mobile robot "Kachaka Pro" with Mitsubishi Electric Building Solutions’ IoT platform "Ville-feuille," creating a "robot mobility support service." Through this integration, an autonomous transport system has been deployed within the apartment building managed by Daiei Sangyo.
During the trial period, 50 residents of the apartments will experience the new services via a dedicated browser-based application. The app can be operated from residents’ smartphones or tablets, as well as from dedicated tablets installed in the building’s entrance.
Five services have been prepared: transport of shopping bags; outbound transport of items; cart return; parcel receipt; and user feedback collection and system improvement. By incorporating an inquiry function within the application to gather residents’ opinions and continuously improving the app throughout the demonstration period, the companies aim to identify latent needs and enhance service quality. In parallel, they will establish an environment in which the Kachaka Pro can share elevators with residents while transporting goods or collecting carts, thereby assessing residents’ acceptance of robots coexisting with people in daily living spaces.