Japan looks to AI as Covid-19 challenges go-and-see quality control mantra

TOKYO (Reuters) – At a factory south of Japan’s Toyota City, robots have started sharing the work of quality-control inspectors, as the pandemic accelerates a shift from Toyota’s vaunted “go and see” system which helped revolutionise mass production in the 20th century.

Inside the auto-parts plant of Musashi Seimitsu Industry Co Ltd, a robotic arm picks up and spins a bevel gear, scanning its teeth against a light in search of surface flaws. The inspection takes about two seconds – similar to that of highly trained employees who check around 1,000 units per shift.

“Inspecting 1,000 of the exact same thing day-in day-out requires a lot of skill and expertise, but it’s not very creative,” Chief Executive Hiroshi Otsuka told Reuters. “We’d like to release workers from those tasks.”