OITA -- A shopping district in Oita City has thought of a high-tech solution to attract shoppers to the area: it will utilize avatar robots to allow customers to shop remotely from this week.
Employees of participating stores at the Oita Funai 5 Ave. shopping district took the avatars for a test run on Saturday.
The shopping district has leased the avatars from Tokyo-based developer Avatarin Inc. with support from the Oita prefectural government, among others.
Shoppers will be able to operate the avatars remotely on computers and can confirm their orders using a camera attached to the robots. The built-in microphone and speakers will enable shoppers to speak with shop staff.
A trial was held at the Wakatake-en tea shop on Saturday. With the coronavirus crisis impacting the number of shoppers visiting the store, the owner hopes that demand will surpass expectations.
A clothing store and liquor shop are among those that will participate in the service, which will run from Wednesday through May 6.
Customers interested in trying the service must first register on Avatarin's website to make a reservation. The dates on which the service will be available may vary depending on the store.
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