Challenging social issues in unexplored territories with innovative robot technology.
Bringing secure and safe work styles realized by automation to more sites.

I also joined mid-career. I've worked in various industries like finance and entertainment. My criteria for this change was choosing a company I could tell my family and friends about with pride. I sympathized with the desire to "eliminate accidents at construction sites." Since it was my first time working with engineers, I was worried about communication, but it turned out perfectly fine.

I'm glad to hear that. I was invited by a senior at school and started as a part-timer first. My first impression was simply that the work sounded interesting. I joined as a full-time employee following that experience, and I find it rewarding that everyone faces site issues head-on, and even young employees have the discretion to take on challenges.

I was also introduced by a senior from my university lab and started as a part-timer. While working, I felt I could utilize what I had studied here, so I joined full-time. Currently, I am working with other employees to utilize innovative robot technology to solve social issues in unexplored territories.

Since this isn't work that can be reduced to manuals or templates, things don't go well unless I fully utilize my expertise and carefully verbalize each step. I've been trained quite a bit in that regard.

I also feel I've gained broad knowledge and flexible response skills since joining ARAV Inc. After all, the scope of work is very wide, even for sales administration.

Since joining ARAV Inc., I've become even more interested in construction sites around town. At the same time, my feelings of gratitude and respect for the people working there have increased. This is because I have many opportunities to visit sites as an engineer and see firsthand the workers performing in harsh environments.

I also keenly feel the importance of knowing the site. Also, since I have to handle multiple projects simultaneously, my multitasking skills have improved. Furthermore, interacting with various people across different industries has expanded my perspective as an engineer.

At sites where construction and heavy machinery are operated, there is a risk of losing human lives. If automation is realized, people will be able to work with peace of mind. I believe we have no choice but to keep going so that as many sites as possible can become like that.

That really is the most important point. Beyond that, I want to deliver automation technology to more people. It should be applicable to agriculture, aviation, and space as well. As a result, I want to change how people work and the structure of industries.

Technical development for construction machinery lags significantly behind automobiles. We should be able to reach a much higher level. By realizing automation, I want to contribute to the digitalization and labor-saving of industries like construction and logistics.

What technical hurdles must be overcome to realize automation?

Currently, the reality is that we still cannot match skilled operators. We haven't reached the quality demanded by the sites. Simultaneously, the issue of cost is significant. We discuss these matters every day.

I completely agree. The current level of autonomous driving is about 80% complete. The value brought by the remaining 20% is immense. How to implement that into the machines is our immediate challenge.

I am also given various challenges beyond the category of sales administration. Moreover, I think the fact that everyone supports you if anything happens is a unique strength of ARAV Inc.

Since ARAV Inc. is a young company, there are almost no fixed concepts. It's an environment where you can try what you think. Additionally, especially in sales, you have to consider the positions and values of various people. You can acquire the essential skill for surviving in the coming era: looking at things from diverse perspectives.

I want to emphasize that you can experience very dense time here. It's only been a little over a year since I joined, but it feels like I've been here for two years. Because of that, I can really feel that I am growing.

I agree. As an engineer, there aren't many opportunities to verify huge machines with your own control algorithms. It's quite tough because you have to utilize various robotics technologies to solve the problems.

Before joining, I thought engineers were developing both Teleoperation devices and automation devices together. It was surprising that the organizations were separate. Also, I was amazed by the sheer variety of specifications and shapes of construction machinery. The difficulty of having to handle each one individually to advance automation was beyond my expectations.

I felt that because of the large amount of discretion, there are many situations where I have to drive development under my own responsibility. The most memorable moment was right after I joined; I came back from getting my machinery operator's license and was told, "I want you to move this machine autonomously by next week." I managed to do it, and the machine was even showcased at an exhibition. Opportunities like that are common at ARAV Inc.

That's true. I also wrote a program to automate a 30m-class crane within a few months of joining. I was so relieved when it moved without any problems.

Finally, I definitely want to hear your thoughts on the vision that ARAV Inc. is trying to realize.

To be honest, I recently reaffirmed that the vision of ARAV Inc. is "to become a leading robotics company that contributes to the world." I feel I need to reflect on the fact that I wasn't very conscious of the "world" myself. Japan has many companies that manufacture construction machinery active worldwide. I believe that if we create and spread devices to automate and provide Teleoperation for those machines, we can surely realize our vision.

Eliminating dangerous and harsh work through the power of technology is a meaningful challenge. I also believe that if automation is achieved, the vision can be realized. I hope it can be applied to a wide range of fields, not limited to construction.

Every industry must work on labor-saving and automation. ARAV Inc. is challenging itself to create pioneering cases for that. However, technically, we are still developing. I find it interesting in itself that we are trying to bring it to completion.

I am also inspired by everyone's passion and can work with the feeling of wanting to be useful to customers and contribute to society.

I'd like to ask the two engineers: what would you like to challenge yourself with in the future through your work at ARAV Inc.?

It's probably something every engineer thinks, but my dream is for something I developed to become widespread in the world so I can tell my acquaintances, "I'm the one who made that."

I have a goal beyond that: for what I've created to become the industry standard. That's what I want to aim for.

Anyone can see construction and heavy machinery in the city. I think there's a lot of romance in being able to update such familiar machines with your own technology.
If anyone feels even a little bit of the appeal, I'd like to call out to them, "Why not work with us?"