By TAKESHI SUEZAKI/ Staff Writer
June 28, 2023 at 07:00 JST
Lawson Inc. starts a verification test on sign-language gestures made by an on-screen avatar at a convenience store in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on June 2. (Takeshi Suezaki)
Convenience store chain operator Lawson Inc. is testing a system in which remotely controlled avatars use sign language to help hearing-impaired customers.
The verification test at a Lawson store in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward started on June 2 to see if the avatar’s expressions can be understood by shoppers.
Employees at the company’s main office or their homes act as “Lawson Avatar Operators” (LAOs).
Sitting in front of personal computers, the LAOs can watch the store through a camera and operate an avatar on a screen to respond to inquiries from customers.
Lawson already uses English-speaking LAOs to deal with non-Japanese customers. Lawson now expects the avatars to also communicate with customers in sign language in a rare service.
When the LAOs change their facial expressions or move their hands and fingers, their avatars on the screen reflect the motions.
But some problems must still be worked out.
For example, it is difficult for avatars to express certain gestures, especially when their hands are placed on top of each other or when one hand is seen in the foreground while the other is seen farther back.
“We want to find out which expressions can convey meanings and which ones can’t,” said Kazuki Tsukiuda, an executive officer at Lawson. “We also want to build momentum for a society in which sign language and gestures are widely accepted.”
Some LAOs can already greet customers and say words in sign language. Lawson is considering having them communicate with customers in sign language on a limited basis after the initial verification test.
The company plans to introduce sign-language avatars at 10 outlets by the end of March 2024 before expanding the service nationwide.
Lawson also intends to increase the number of LAOs to 1,000 by the end of March 2026 from the current 30.
Because LAOs can work at home, Lawson said jobs will be available for people with care-giving responsibilities, child-rearing duties or disabilities.
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