Tokai Rika and Aisan Industry Join Physical AI Project

Tokai Rika and Aisan Industry Join Physical AI Manufacturing Project

Tokai Rika Co., Ltd. and Aisan Industry Co., Ltd. announced separately on October 27 that they will participate in a project led by STATION Ai Inc. to establish a data ecosystem for physical artificial intelligence (AI) in manufacturing. The initiative aims to collect and utilize multimodal data from workers at manufacturing sites and a dedicated data collection center. By developing the infrastructure needed to train physical AI robots, the project seeks to advance the practical application of AI-driven automation in manufacturing. It plans to prepare approximately 10,000 hours of data, with the project scheduled to run for up to two years within the fiscal year 2026 to fiscal year 2028 period.

GENIAC Supports Manufacturing Data Infrastructure Development

The project is supported by GENIAC, an initiative led by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). GENIAC aims to strengthen generative AI development in Japan and accelerate its deployment in real-world applications. Within this framework, the manufacturing data initiative will focus on building the data infrastructure required to train physical AI robots. The collection and use of multimodal information from manufacturing workers and production environments are central to this effort. The planned data volume of approximately 10,000 hours is intended to support the development and practical evaluation of AI models for manufacturing operations.

Tokai Rika to Apply Automotive Manufacturing Expertise

Tokai Rika Co., Ltd. will contribute the production engineering capabilities and manufacturing expertise it has developed as an automotive parts manufacturer. The company intends to apply its experience in handling a wide variety of small components while maintaining high quality and operational efficiency. By combining this manufacturing knowledge with advanced AI and robotics technologies, Tokai Rika will conduct demonstration trials aimed at bringing physical AI applications closer to practical use. Its participation connects established automotive component production processes with emerging AI-based automation approaches. The trials are intended to help evaluate how physical AI can be applied to real manufacturing tasks.

Aisan Industry to Support Data Collection and AI Model Testing

Aisan Industry Co., Ltd. will contribute its expertise in process and work analysis developed through automotive parts production and improvement activities. Its responsibilities will include providing data from manufacturing sites, supporting the development of training data, and assisting with AI model testing and demonstrations. These activities are intended to help create data resources that reflect actual manufacturing processes and support the evaluation of AI applications. Through its participation, Aisan Industry will bring practical production knowledge to the project’s data-development and validation activities. The company shares the broader objective of improving productivity and advancing automation across manufacturing operations.

Manufacturing Partners Target Productivity and Automation Improvements

Tokai Rika, Aisan Industry, and CKD Corporation will participate as manufacturing partners in the initiative. The companies aim to improve productivity and advance automation at manufacturing sites while addressing challenges that include skills transfer and labor shortages. Their contributions cover complementary areas, including production engineering, manufacturing-process analysis, data provision, training-data development, and AI model evaluation. The project’s focus on collecting manufacturing data is intended to support the development of physical AI systems capable of operating in real-world production environments. By combining practical manufacturing expertise with AI and robotics technologies, the partners will help assess the potential applications of physical AI in industrial settings.

CKD Corporation to Contribute Automation and Production Engineering Expertise

CKD Corporation develops, manufactures, and sells automatic machinery, drive equipment, pneumatic control equipment, and other functional products. Within the project, CKD will contribute its production engineering and automation expertise to help define task requirements, collect data, and verify the effectiveness of the collected information. These responsibilities will support the wider effort to develop suitable training data for physical AI systems. CKD’s experience with machinery and automation complements the automotive manufacturing knowledge provided by Tokai Rika and Aisan Industry. Together, the three manufacturing partners will contribute practical expertise to the project’s data collection, development, and demonstration activities.

Physical AI Development in Japan’s Manufacturing Sector

The initiative links Japan’s broader efforts to accelerate AI deployment with the practical requirements of manufacturing operations. Through GENIAC support, the project will develop data resources intended to help train physical AI robots, using information collected from workers and manufacturing environments. The participating companies will contribute production knowledge, process-analysis capabilities, automation expertise, and support for testing AI models. The planned collection of approximately 10,000 hours of data provides a defined target for the initiative, which is scheduled to operate for up to two years within FY2026 to FY2028. Its demonstration activities will help assess the application of physical AI to manufacturing tasks.

Industry Impact & Outlook

The project brings automotive parts manufacturers and an industrial automation supplier together to address the data and engineering requirements of physical AI in manufacturing. For Japan’s automotive supply chain, the initiative could help identify practical approaches to improving production efficiency, supporting skills transfer, and responding to labor shortages through automation. Its emphasis on manufacturing-site data, training resources, and AI model demonstrations is significant because real production processes require solutions grounded in actual operating conditions. The next steps will involve collecting the planned data, developing training resources, and testing AI models during the project period. The effectiveness of these activities will help determine how the technology can be applied in manufacturing environments.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Tokai Rika and Aisan Industry physical AI project?
The Tokai Rika and Aisan Industry physical AI project is a manufacturing initiative led by STATION Ai Inc. to build a data ecosystem for training physical AI robots. The project will collect and use multimodal data from manufacturing workers and a data collection center. It aims to prepare approximately 10,000 hours of data to support AI development and practical demonstrations. Supported by GENIAC, the initiative is intended to advance real-world generative AI deployment and improve manufacturing automation through collaboration among companies with production engineering and industrial expertise.

How much manufacturing data does the project plan to collect?
The project plans to prepare approximately 10,000 hours of data to support the development and training of physical AI robots for manufacturing applications. The initiative will collect multimodal information from workers at manufacturing sites and a dedicated data collection center. These data resources are intended to provide a foundation for training AI systems and evaluating their application in real production environments. The project is supported by GENIAC, which aims to strengthen generative AI development in Japan and accelerate real-world deployment. The initiative is scheduled to run for up to two years within FY2026 to FY2028.

What role will Tokai Rika play in the initiative?
Tokai Rika will contribute its production engineering capabilities and manufacturing expertise developed through its automotive parts business. The company has experience handling a wide variety of small components while maintaining high quality and efficiency. It plans to combine this knowledge with advanced AI and robotics technologies through demonstration trials focused on the practical application of physical AI. Its contribution will help connect established manufacturing processes with emerging AI-driven automation approaches. The project also brings together other manufacturing partners to support data collection, training-data development, and the evaluation of AI models for industrial use.

How will Aisan Industry contribute to physical AI development?
Aisan Industry will contribute its expertise in process and work analysis developed through automotive parts production and improvement activities. Its responsibilities include providing manufacturing-site data, helping develop training data, and assisting with AI model testing and demonstrations. These activities will support the initiative’s goal of creating data resources suitable for training physical AI robots. The company’s manufacturing experience is expected to help connect AI development with actual production processes. Aisan Industry also shares the project’s objectives of improving productivity, advancing automation, and addressing manufacturing challenges such as skills transfer and labor shortages.

What is CKD Corporation’s role in the project?
CKD Corporation will participate as a manufacturing partner, contributing production engineering and automation expertise. The company develops, manufactures, and sells automatic machinery, drive equipment, pneumatic control equipment, and other functional products. Its responsibilities in the initiative include helping define task requirements, collecting data, and verifying the effectiveness of the collected information. These activities will support the development of training resources for physical AI systems. CKD’s participation complements the automotive manufacturing and process-analysis expertise of Tokai Rika and Aisan Industry, bringing additional industrial automation knowledge to the collaborative project.

What is GENIAC, and how does it support this initiative?
GENIAC is an initiative led by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization to strengthen generative AI development and accelerate real-world deployment in Japan. It supports the physical AI manufacturing project led by STATION Ai Inc. The initiative focuses on developing the data infrastructure needed to train physical AI robots using multimodal manufacturing information. By supporting this effort, GENIAC connects AI development with practical industrial applications. The project’s data collection and demonstration activities are intended to help evaluate how AI technologies can be used in manufacturing operations.

When will the physical AI manufacturing project run?
The project is scheduled to run for up to two years within the period from fiscal year 2026 to fiscal year 2028. During this period, the initiative aims to prepare approximately 10,000 hours of manufacturing-related data and support the development and evaluation of physical AI systems. Tokai Rika, Aisan Industry, and CKD Corporation will contribute manufacturing expertise and participate in relevant data collection, training-data development, and demonstration activities. The project’s stated objectives include improving productivity and advancing automation at manufacturing sites, while helping address challenges such as skills transfer and labor shortages.