The days of fumbling for a ticket or a smart card could soon be a thing of the past at Osaka Station. The transport hub will debut a biometric ticketing system on Saturday.
A new ticket gate uses facial recognition technology to identify people with commuter passes. Passengers who have registered images of their faces can walk through.
And to find their way around the sprawling station, they can ask the AI-equipped robot guides.
The technology comes from an innovation lab run by rail operator JR West in Osaka. Company officials said if it proves successful there, they plan to implement it across their network.