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

A self-driving vehicle with parts is pictued at Ricoh’s photocopier components factory in Atsugi, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan. — Reuters

TOKYO: 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.