Nippon Otis Elevator Company Successfully Integrates with Delivery Robot via Cloud at Oita Prefectural Government Office, Japan

TOKYO (April 9, 2024) – Nippon Otis Elevator Company in collaboration with robotics provider FIG Corporation has integrated a service robot with an existing Otis Gen2® Prestige elevator as part of a pilot project at the Oita Prefectural Government Office, in Oita, Japan. Nippon Otis is the Japanese subsidiary of Otis Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: OTIS), the world’s leading company for elevator and escalator manufacturing, installation, and service.

At the Oita Prefectural Government Office, many parcels arrive at the mail room every day from inside and outside the office, and employees from various departments come to the mail room to receive them. To improve delivery efficiency and free employees for more value-adding tasks, the Oita Prefectural Government Office has launched the pilot of mail delivery by robot.

Nippon Otis Elevator worked with FIG to integrate the elevator and robot using Otis Integrated Dispatch™ technology, which enables the robot to interact with the elevator via the cloud. This allows the robot to autonomously call and take the elevator to designated floors to perform mail delivery. The whole workflow is automated without the need for human intervention. As a security measure, the robot is equipped with a facial identification system that allows only authorized people to receive the mail packages delivered.

As the aging population continues to grow, and the birth rate declines resulting in fewer people entering the workforce, Japan is moving towards automating and digitizing some business and daily living operations to maximize efficiency despite labor shortages, said Nippon Otis President Thibault Lefebure. Otis has been innovating in the elevator industry for more than 170 years since it introduced the world’s first safe elevator for passengers. We continue to reimagine what’s possible for our customers, using smart elevator solutions and digital technologies – including autonomous service robots, which can interact seamlessly with our elevators – to help change how people live and work.

Otis Integrated Dispatch technology is an Application Programming Interface (API) designed to integrate with most autonomous service robots. More flexible and scalable than traditional hard-wired integrations, this API approach enables robots to interface seamlessly with elevators via the cloud or a local connection. The Otis Integrated Dispatch system works at the elevator group or bank level. This allows for the easy addition of extra robots, including different robot models from various providers, and increases pace and efficiency by having multiple elevators available for robots to use.

Oita Prefectural Government Office launches the pilot of mail delivery by robot, using Otis Integrated Dispatch technology

Thibault Lefebure, President, Nippon Otis Elevator

Robot delivering mail at Oita Prefectural Office Building

An employee activates the robot’s facial identification system to access their mail

To learn more about Otis products and services, visit www.otis.com.

About Otis

Otis gives people freedom to connect and thrive in a taller, faster, smarter world. The global leader in the manufacture, installation and servicing of elevators and escalators, we move 2.3 billion people a day and maintain approximately 2.3 million customer units worldwide – the industry's largest Service portfolio. You’ll find us in the world's most iconic structures, as well as residential and commercial buildings, transportation hubs and everywhere people are on the move. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, Otis is 71,000 people strong, including 42,000 field professionals, all committed to meeting the diverse needs of our customers and passengers in more than 200 countries and territories. To learn more, visit www.otis.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook@OtisElevatorCo.