AI-Assisted Lost-and-Found Services Enhance Operations in Japan
Title: Revolutionizing Lost-and-Found: Japan's AI-Powered Approach to Recovering Items
Lost your keys, phone, or anything on the train? Worry not! Japan's innovative AI technology might just help you get them back, even if you thought they were gone for good.
Leading the charge in Japan, numerous organizations have adopted a smart "lost-and-found platform," developed by Tokyo-based Find Inc, at approximately 2,300 stations and other locations. This impressive roster includes big names like Sapporo City Transportation Bureau, Haneda airport, Tokyo police, Oita prefectural police, and even railway operators like Keio Corp.
Keio Corp, for instance, has seen a remarkable surge in the return of lost possessions, with the rate skyrocketing to 30 percent, a significant increase from the meager less than 10 percent before adopting the system.
The process is simple: when a lost item is found, employees snap a picture of it and send it to Find Inc's AI-based system, which categorizes the item based on its color, shape, and other features before storing the information in a comprehensive database along with the photos.
In need of your long-lost item? Using messaging apps like Line, you can make inquiries by providing details such as where and when the item was lost, its characteristics, or even using a similar-looking image as reference. The system will scope out possibilities and notify you if there’s a match.
Even if you can't provide a photo or only offer a vague description, the AI technology will present potential candidates in order of likelihood. If it determines that the item belongs to you, it will guide you to the appropriate counter to retrieve it.
Yurikamome Inc, operating an automated monorail transit service in Tokyo, introduced the AI system in July 2024. Despite managing a staggering 15,000 lost-and-found items annually, the number of inquiries has drastically decreased, thanks to Find Inc's system.
The benefit? Efficient searching, reducing the time needed to locate items. Feedback from users expresses gratitude for the system's assistance in recovering their belongings and praise for the overall convenience it provides.
Some police departments in Tokyo and Oita utilize the system to handle their lost-and-found services, ensuring faster returns of items as they no longer need to verify them manually.
Facilities at Hakata Station in Fukuoka, like the station's commercial building and underground shopping center, have collectively adopted the service, eliminating the need to inquire about lost items at multiple points.
Find Inc launched its platform in June 2023, and as of the end of March, they had handled a cumulative total of around 1.5 million lost items, with approximately 480,000 being returned.
With conventional methods requiring customers to call various locations, CEO Ryu Wada of Find Inc expects the recovery of lost-and-found items to be much easier as more facilities adopt this service, thanks to the huge database this technology provides.
While specific data on the effectiveness of the Find Inc platform is unavailable, AI technology can significantly streamline the process of managing lost items by employing techniques like image recognition and cloud-based solutions to improve efficiency in locating lost items across multiple locations.
- The AI-based platform developed by Find Inc, currently in use at over 2,300 stations and locations across Japan, includes prominent organizations such as Sapporo City Transportation Bureau, Haneda airport, Tokyo police, and Keio Corp.
- Keio Corp, a railway operator in Japan, has witnessed a significant increase in the return of lost possessions, with the rate jumping to 30 percent since adopting the Find Inc platform, a noticeable rise from their previous rate of less than 10 percent.
- When an item is found, employees take a picture and send it to Find Inc's AI system, which categorizes the item based on its color, shape, and features before storing the information in a database for future references.
- Users can initiate inquiries about their lost possessions through messaging apps like Line, providing details such as when and where the item was lost, its characteristics, or even a similar-looking image as a reference.
- Even without a photo or a clear description, the AI technology can present potential candidates in order of likelihood, guiding users to the appropriate counter to retrieve their items if it identifies a match.
- In July 2024, Yurikamome Inc, an automated monorail transit service operator in Tokyo, introduced Find Inc's AI platform, significantly reducing the number of inquiries about lost items annually.
