A demonstration combining the AICO guidance robot and an AI avatar has begun at Shimizu Ward Office in Shizuoka City. Kiosks and an autonomous mobile robot will supplement counter guidance, with the project comparing their effectiveness through multilingual support and proactive interactions with visitors.
As part of the Shizuoka AI Avatar Promotion Project, led by Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Institute of Science and Technology, Shimizu Port Promotion Co., Ltd., ファーストローンチ and others, an AICO-equipped kiosk terminal and the autonomous mobile robot Lanky Mini have been installed next to the general information desk on the 1st floor of Shimizu Ward Office, and a demonstration of counter guidance has begun.
The kiosk terminal answers visitors’ questions on site, while the robot approaches visitors on its own and speaks to them, providing multilingual guidance by voice and text. The demonstration will compare usage patterns and guidance effectiveness between the screen-based and robot-based systems.
Local VTuber Nanami Naminone (七海波音) has been appointed as the guide, with support planned for 13 or more languages, including Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean. Lanky Mini will operate in 4 languages: Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean, with further expansion planned.
Lanky Mini was introduced with support from Kingsoft, while ファーストローンチ is responsible for system development and operation. Local students will also participate by proposing AI improvements, with the aim of enhancing the user experience for visitors. The demonstration is scheduled to run from 10 August 2026 to the end of February 2027.