Japan's First Demonstration: Advancing Industrial Complex Facility Inspection with Physical AI, IOWN® APN, and 60GHz Wireless LAN

NTT East, NTT Docomo Business, NTT Docomo Solutions, and NTT Data Group (collectively 'NTT Group'), along with 1Finity (a Fujitsu Group company), and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (a Mitsubishi Chemical Group company), are working to reduce the burden on field workers inspecting outdoor factory equipment through smart maintenance enabled by IOWN® APN and AI.

In February 2026, the three parties constructed a high-capacity, low-latency communication environment combining IOWN® APN and 60GHz wireless LAN at the Mizushima coastal industrial zone (Mizushima industrial complex) in Okayama Prefecture, confirming the ability to collect massive amounts of data in real time.

Using this communication environment, the companies verified the advancement of outdoor facility inspection leveraging Physical AI technologies such as autonomous robots and digital twins.

Specifically, the following validations were conducted with effective results looking toward practical application:

(1) Realized remote operation and autonomous navigation of robots in an outdoor environment. (2) Transmitted data collected via cameras and microphones mounted on the robots with low latency. (3) Analyzed collected data in real time using AI to detect abnormalities related to vibration and sound. (4) Analyzed collected data using AI and reflected the findings in a digital twin environment to detect cracks.

Moving forward, the companies will continue to integrate diverse data including video, audio, odor, and temperature to achieve advanced cognitive functions capable of replacing human workers, thereby reducing the burden on on-site personnel.