Japan is increasingly using robots for transportation and sales at office buildings, apartments, stadiums and other large-scale facilities.

As the country needs to address labor shortages urgently, companies and workers are exploring how robots and humans can work together better for business efficiency.

The Es Con Field Hokkaido stadium, home to the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters professional baseball team, has introduced work assistance robot "Suppot" to transport beer kegs.

The robot detects and automatically follows its user and can carry up to 60 beer kegs. Another robot to sell food and drinks to spectators is being tested.

An official of parcel delivery group Yamato Holdings, which manages the operations of the robots, voiced hope that such robots will also be used in other locations.

Four robots serve as porters at Mita Garden Hills, a large apartment in Tokyo developed by real estate giant Mitsui Fudosan and others.

They can transport residents' baggage weighing up to 30 kilograms between the entrance and a residential unit. Doors and elevators operate in coordination with the robots, enabling smooth and automated transportation.

Over 20% of the porter service deliveries are handled by the robots after the Mitsui Fudosan group identified efficient routes for them and informed residents of the service, according to an official.

In July, telecommunications company KDDI in cooperation with convenience store operator Lawson opened an experimental store using digital technology at its headquarters in the Takanawa Gateway City redevelopment area in Tokyo. Ten robots are used to deliver products to employees' offices and conduct mobile sales.

The two companies aim to gather knowledge through the use of robots to improve store operation efficiency and develop highly convenient services.