New Atlas: Japan’s first robot ambulance works the 9-1-1 lines for humanoids.

Posted on September 23, 2026 by michelleclarke2015

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AI and Humanoids

Japan’s first robot ambulance works the 9-1-1 lines for humanoids

By Abhimanyu Ghoshal

September 20, 2026

The ambulance is kitted out to resemble a conventional ambulance, and travels with a humanoid robot engineer from GMO on board

The ambulance is kitted out to resemble a conventional ambulance, and travels with a GMO humanoid robot engineer on board

GMO Internet Group

View 5 Images View gallery – 5 images

Before humanoid robots fully integrate into our societies and inhabit our homes, factory floors, and workspaces, a Japanese firm is thinking one step ahead. GMO has just unveiled a “Humanoid Ambulance” that it will roll out this month to handle maintenance tasks on-site.

This is the country’s – and arguably the world’s – first dedicated vehicle designated to handle humanoid maintenance and troubleshooting.

It resembles a conventional van-style ambulance used for medical emergencies, albeit with custom graphics on the exterior that spell out its specialization.

The ambulance is kitted out to resemble a conventional ambulance, and travels with a humanoid robot engineer from GMO on board
The ambulance is kitted out to resemble a conventional ambulance, and travels with a GMO humanoid robot engineer on board

The ambulance comes from the AI and robotics division of GMO Internet Group, which supplies and robots from various manufacturers like China’s Unitree, and facilitates allied services. Earlier this year, it was in the news for partnering with Japan Airlines to have humanoid robots assist its ground support staff handling baggage and operating equipment at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport.

GMO previously made the news when it helped Japan Airlines test humanoid robots on its ground support team this year, hauling cargo and operating equipment
GMO previously made the news when it helped Japan Airlines test humanoid robots on its ground support team earlier this year, hauling cargo and operating equipment

As such, this ambulance is meant to service bots sold by GMO, and will have a trained engineer on board to rectify issues. The company noted that if it can’t fix a malfunctioning robot on the premises during a house call, the ambulance service will haul it away to a repair facility, and provide a replacement unit to boot.

When on-site repair isn't enough, GMO will take robots back to its lab for intensive maintenance
When on-site repair isn’t enough, GMO will take robots back to its lab for intensive maintenance

It might sound like a wacky idea, but the reality is we might need more of this sort of infrastructure in just a few years’ time.

Humanoid robots are being built to tackle household chores, provide company to seniors, assemble products in factories, and move inventory around warehouses. We’re also seeing rapid development of AI models that guide robotic movements and capabilities, and there’s even a push to make it easier for people to train robots and share those skills so others can use them with their hardware.

GMO sells and services a range of robots from manufacturers like Unitree
GMO sells and services a range of robots from manufacturers like Unitree

According to consulting giant McKinsey & Co., the global robotics market is set to expand to about US$370 billion by 2040. While China is poised to capture half of that total value in the next decade and a half, Japan’s government is eyeing a 30% market share, which works out to nearly $125 billion.

So this ambulance – likely the first of many – is a small part of Japan’s attempt to build systems to address the challenges of a new high-tech industry ahead of time. I wager we’ll next see software for managing entire fleets of robots and automatically distributing workloads among them.

Source: GMO Internet GroupView gallery – 5 images

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About michelleclarke2015

Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
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