Humanoid robots being trialled as airport workers in Japan | Technology
Japan Airlines says it will trial humanoid robots as workers at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, with tasks including baggage handling and cabin cleaning.
Published On 30 Apr 2026
You could soon see ROBOT baggage handlers dealing with your summer holiday luggage as major airline trials humanoid crew
ROBOT baggage handlers will replace humans during an experimental project as a major airline trials a humanoid crew.
The pilot programme was announced by Japan Airlines, where Chinese-made robots will be integrated into ground operations at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.
The country’s biggest airport will host the three-year experiment, where the machines will be tasked with cleaning planes, as well as loading and transporting baggage.
Looking further into the future, the androids could also be operating ground support equipment including baggage tractors, catering trucks and power units.
The airline said bipedal robots were the best suited to working in airport environments, as opposed to other types of robotic machines.
This is because they are quicker and are able to move within and adapt to cramped spaces.
“Being human-shaped allows their introduction without significant modifications to existing airport facilities or aircraft structures,” a Japan Airlines spokesperson said.
“By combining cutting-edge AI technology with the unique flexibility of humanoid forms, the project aims to realise a sustainable operational structure through labour savings and workload reduction.”
“Currently, the aviation industry faces a serious challenge in ground handling labour shortages,” they continued.
The airline said this was because of increased tourism and a declining working-age population in Japan.
“Ground handling operations require highly skilled personnel to maintain safety, such as aircraft marshalling and baggage/cargo handling, while also imposing significant physical burdens,” they said.
Baggage handlers do one of the least glamorous and thankless jobs in the modern world.
Many workers suffer with back injuries and are often faced with complaints about lost and damaged belongings.
The robots were trialled in Haneda this week, with a demonstration showing a skinny 51-inch robot tapping and pushing large storage containers on rollers.
To demonstrate that a task had been completed, the robots raise a hand.
The machine is made by Unitree Robotics of China and has 43 separate moving parts.
“While airports appear highly automated and standardised, their back-end operations still rely heavily on human labour and face serious labour shortages,” said Tomohiro Uchida of GMO AI & Robotics, the airline’s partner on the project.
Humanoid robot breaks half marathon world record in Beijing | Science and Technology News
The humans were left far behind as smartphone maker Honor’s humanoid robot shattered the men’s world record in China.
Published On 19 Apr 2026
A humanoid robot competing against flesh-and-blood runners has broken the world record at a Beijing half-marathon, showcasing the rapid technological advancements achieved by Chinese makers.
Spectators lined the roads in Yizhuang in the capital’s south on Sunday to watch the machines and their human rivals race, each group in a separate lane to avoid accidents or collisions.
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Some of the robots were highly agile, moving like famous runners such as Usain Bolt, while others had more basic capabilities.
The winning humanoid, equipped with an autonomous navigation system and running for Chinese smartphone maker Honor, completed the roughly 21km (13-mile) course in 50 minutes and 26 seconds, at an average speed of about 25km/h (15.5mph), according to state broadcaster CCTV.
That was far faster than the top human in Sunday’s race, while also surpassing the current men’s world record of 57:20, held by Ugandan runner Jacob Kiplimo.
The result represented spectacular progress from last year, when robot-runners fell repeatedly, and the best took more than two hours and 40 minutes to finish.
The number of humanoid entries jumped from about 20 last year to more than 100, according to organisers, a sign of the sector’s growing popularity.
‘Pretty cool’
Han Chenyu, a 25-year-old student who watched the race from behind a safety barrier, barely had time to take out her phone and snap a picture of the leading robot as it whizzed past.
She told the AFP news agency she was enthusiastic about such leaps in technology and thought the event was “pretty cool”.
But, she added, “as someone who works for a living, I’m a little worried about it sometimes. I feel like technology is advancing so fast that it might start affecting people’s jobs”, particularly with artificial intelligence (AI) growing increasingly sophisticated.
Humanoid robots have become a common sight in China in recent years, in the media as well as in public spaces.
Xie Lei, 41, who watched Sunday’s race with his family, said robots could “become part of our daily lives” within several years, potentially used for “things like housework, elderly companionship or basic caregiving” or “dangerous jobs, even firefighting”.
The humanoid half-marathon aims to encourage innovation and popularise the technologies used in creating and operating such machines.
In a sign of the industry’s strength, investment in robotics and so-called embodied AI amounted to 73.5 billion yuan ($10.8bn) in China in 2025, according to a study by a government agency.
“For thousands of years, humans have been at the top on planet Earth. But now, look at robots. Just in terms of autonomous navigation, at least in this specific sport event, they’re already starting to surpass us,” Xie said.
“On one hand, it does make you feel a little bit sad for humanity. But at the same time, technology, especially in recent years, has given us so much imagination.”