Japanese Cutting-Edge
Solutions for Metalworking
Japanese Cutting-Edge
Solutions for Metalworking
Exhibition
April 30, 2025
By: Yuki Matsukawa, Staff Editor, SEISANZAI Japan
Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai opened on April 13 and is currently welcoming large crowds to its signature Grand Roof (Ring) and various national and corporate pavilions. Among the many exhibits, several companies from the factory automation (FA) and robotics industries are presenting technologies with potential applications in manufacturing and broader society. This article introduces notable examples from the show floor.
The robot stops when a person stands next to it.
The Mitsubishi Group has set up the “Mitsubishi Pavilion” near the East Gate, the closest entrance to Yumeshima Subway Station. In addition to its own pavilion, Mitsubishi Electric is also supporting operations elsewhere on the site. One standout example is an autonomous trash bin robot that patrols the roughly 2-kilometer Grand Ring. Visitors can dispose of waste into the robot as it passes by.
The robot navigates with centimeter-level precision by combining high-resolution 3D map data with sensor inputs and corrections from Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System. Two units are currently in operation three days a week, except on rainy or extremely busy days.
“In addition to testing short-distance outdoor logistics, the robot also serves as a social experiment to address the problem of garbage accumulation around stationary bins,” explained a deputy general manager of Mitsubishi Electric’s Integrated Sensor Systems Division for Defense and Space Systems.
The garbage bin robot moves at a gentle speed of about 1 km/h along the Grand Ring.
At the “Future City” corporate pavilion near the West Gate, Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) is showcasing technologies including “CORLEO,” a quadruped walking robot capable of traversing various terrains, and the “ALICE SYSTEM,” a futuristic public transport concept.
“The ‘ALICE Cabin,’ which serves as the core mobility unit, is designed to fit standard container dimensions to enhance feasibility. It also has a robotic arm that can pour drinks,” said Yusuke Amatatsu, manager of the Expo Promotion Section.
KHI’s booth attracts attention with the CORLEO robot. The box-shaped structure in the background is the ALICE Cabin.
The robotic arm inside the ALICE Cabin can be folded and stored when not in use.
HCI, a robot system integrator based in Izumiotsu, Osaka, is presenting an automation system in the “～UTAGE～” Gaishoku Pavilion, where collaborative robots pour drinks and serving robots deliver them to guests. The demonstration will run through July 13.
“We developed a call switch specifically for this exhibit. Through Expo 2025, we hope to help people become more familiar with robots,” said Chisato Okamoto, director of administrative headquarters at HCI.
The company is also displaying other installations, such as a dual-arm robot that prepares takoyaki by applying sauce and mayonnaise.
“Labor shortages are severe, and the food service industry is accelerating its adoption of robots,” said Chisato Okamoto, director at HCI
A dual-arm robot applies sauce and mayonnaise to takoyaki at HCI’s booth
Other companies, including DENSO WAVE, OMRON, and others, are also exhibiting robots and robotic technologies. Some of these installations are time-limited, so visitors are encouraged to check schedules in advance and plan their visit accordingly.
In addition to cutting-edge technology, Expo 2025 offers cultural and artistic attractions such as the world’s largest wooden structure—the Grand Ring—architecturally distinctive pavilions, and a life-size Gundam statue from the iconic anime series “Mobile Suit Gundam”. With so many ways to engage, Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai is a uniquely immersive experience that blends innovation, design, and entertainment.
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