~ Promoting operations in medical, nursing care, manufacturing, and logistics fields to continuously evolve AI models using real-world data ~

ZEALS Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Meguro-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Masahiro Shimizu; hereinafter "ZEALS") is pleased to announce that shipments of its semi-domestic compact humanoid "D1" commenced on Thursday, October 1, 2026.

ZEALS has been developing the humanoid "D1" to work alongside humans in response to severe labor shortages faced by medical and nursing care facilities, manufacturing, and logistics sites in Japan. Since its official announcement in August 2026, ZEALS has conducted repeated demonstration tests in hospitals and nursing care facilities while advancing initiatives toward mass production.

Taking this start of shipments as a new step forward, ZEALS will promote deployments to sites requiring operational support from robots—such as medical/nursing care facilities, factories, and warehouses—aiming to expand active operation in real working environments.

In addition, by utilizing data obtained through the on-site operation of D1 to train and improve AI models, ZEALS will continuously enhance autonomy and task capability, thereby accelerating the social implementation of physical AI.

1. Commencing Shipments of D1: Toward the Popularization of Humanoids Working in Real-World Sites

ZEALS officially announced the semi-domestic compact humanoid "D1" on August 5, 2026, and has been advancing the development of robots that can operate continuously in actual fields as a new workforce to solve Japan's labor shortages.

D1 features a compact body design with an overall height of approximately 129.3 cm and a mobile base width of approximately 48 cm, designed for operation in Japanese indoor environments. In addition to natural AI dialogue and autonomous navigation, it aims to support a wide range of tasks using its dual arms, such as item transport, handovers, and work assistance.

To date, ZEALS has integrated the development of hardware, software, and AI models, accumulated technical knowledge and operational insights through demonstration experiments required for field operations.

On October 1, 2026, shipments of D1 officially began.

ZEALS aims not only to manufacture and ship robots, but to have them operate continuously in real business workflows, contributing to solving problems on the front lines.

With the start of shipments, ZEALS will promote everything from machine deployment and adaptation to local environments, to workflow integration and continuous operational improvement, aiming to realize environments where D1 works alongside humans.

2. Expanding On-Site Operations: From Medical & Nursing Care to Manufacturing & Logistics

In Japan, against the backdrop of a declining birthrate, aging population, and a shrinking working-age population, labor shortages are becoming increasingly severe in various industries such as medical/nursing care, manufacturing, logistics, and service sectors.

In these environments, alongside specialized decision-making and interpersonal duties, there are numerous daily routine tasks such as item transport, reception/guidance, and equipment preparation.

By having D1 take over part of these operations, ZEALS aims to reduce the burden on field staff and create an environment where humans can concentrate on higher-level specialized tasks.

In August 2026, a demonstration test using D1 was conducted at Juko Osu Hospital in Nagoya. Two D1 units operated for a total of 35 hours over 3 days, verifying five in-hospital tasks: visitor guidance, lightweight item transport, tea serving assistance, meal tray retrieval assistance, and gymnastics session leading.

Furthermore, in September of the same year, three tasks—facility guidance using elevators, lightweight item transport, and tea serving—were verified at "Hospitalment Bunkyo Sendagi," a nursing care home operated by the Ouka Juji Group.

Through these demonstrations, ZEALS confirmed the potential tasks D1 can undertake in actual facility environments, as well as the operational challenges to be improved for continuous use.

Moving forward, ZEALS will further advance initiatives in the medical and nursing care domains while expanding into manufacturing and logistics sites, such as factories and warehouses.

By gradually expanding the tasks D1 performs according to the workflows and environments of each site, ZEALS will accumulate the expertise required for robot deployment and operation, leading to broader social implementation.

3. Accumulating Data via Field Operations & Continuous Enhancement of AI Models

In the social implementation of D1, ZEALS emphasizes not only the number of shipped robots, but how much they actually operate in the field to perform real-world tasks.

The evolution of physical AI requires not only training in R&D environments, but also data acquired through real-world operations.

Real-world environments involve conditions that vary by location, such as human and object movements, equipment layouts, object shapes and weights, and differing operational procedures. Operating robots in such diverse environments enables the collection of data and operational insights that cannot be obtained solely in R&D settings.

ZEALS is leveraging its proprietary integrated software suite for humanoids, "Omakase OS," along with its manipulation intelligence foundation, "Omakase Zen," to drive development that connects field-collected data to the training, evaluation, and improvement of AI models.

As the shipment and field deployment of D1 progress, opportunities for operation across diverse work environments will expand, which is expected to enable the collection of increasingly varied data.

Based on this data, ZEALS plans to enhance the accuracy and autonomy of its AI models, deploying improved models back to D1 units to progressively broaden the scope of supported tasks and environments.

"The more it operates in the field, the more data is accumulated, evolving the AI model to handle an even wider range of tasks."

By establishing this continuous development cycle, ZEALS will enhance D1's practical utility and adaptability on the front lines, balancing both the evolution of physical AI and the expansion of its social implementation.

4. Future Outlook | Toward Mass Production of 100 Units and 10,000 Cumulative Operating Hours in the Field

ZEALS has set targets for fiscal year 2026 to mass-produce 100 units of D1 and achieve a cumulative total of 10,000 operating hours in real-world environments.

The commencement of shipments marks an important step in connecting past hardware development and demonstration tests to ongoing, sustainable operations across a greater number of sites.

Moving forward, alongside mass production and shipment, ZEALS will focus on building a stable robot business by fine-tuning functionality according to client environments, designing workflows, and repeatedly verifying safety and reliability.

In addition, by applying training data and operational know-how gained from one location to other sites facing similar challenges, ZEALS aims to reduce the effort required for D1 deployment and expand supported tasks.

Through expanding shipment volumes and accumulating field operating hours, ZEALS will accelerate the learning and refinement of AI models, continuously enhancing the technology and operational structures needed for D1 to perform real work.

By building a mechanism in Japan where robots work on the front lines and continuously evolve based on insights gained there, ZEALS strives to contribute to solving severe labor shortages and realize a society where humans and robots work together.

■ About the Semi-Domestic Compact Humanoid "D1"

D1 is a semi-domestic compact humanoid developed to coexist with humans in Japanese indoor spaces and undertake specific operations.

While incorporating world-class technologies and components, ZEALS leads the domestic development of AI, software, control, assembly, and deployment/operation tailored to Japanese work environments.

Featuring a compact design with an overall height of approximately 129.3 cm and a mobile base width of approximately 48 cm, D1 supports natural AI dialogue, reception/guidance, autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, and multilingual support. It is also expanding into physical task support using its dual arms, including item preparation, transport, and handovers.