Tokyo Gas Invests in Robotics Startup "ugo Inc."
Tokyo Gas has invested in ugo Inc., a robotics startup specializing in inspection and security robots and its proprietary platform. This investment aims to utilize robots in utility facility management, marking the first such investment in ugo by an energy provider. Amidst an aging population and labor shortages, both companies aim to enhance site safety, productivity, and cost optimization by leveraging robots and the platform.
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- 📰 Published: April 15, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 15, 2026 at 10:31
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Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. (President: Shinichi Sasayama, hereinafter "Tokyo Gas") has invested in ugo Inc. (President: Ken Matsui, hereinafter "ugo"), a robotics startup strong in inspection and security robots and its proprietary platform.
This investment is aimed at utilizing robots in utility facility management and is the first instance of an energy supply provider investing in ugo.
Due to the advancement of an aging population and labor shortages in Japan, labor shortages are becoming severe in the field of facility inspection and security.
ugo is a startup that specializes in the inspection and security domain, developing and providing a cloud-based software platform "ugo Platform" equipped with robot hardware and remote control/autonomous control capabilities, integrated as a single unit.
By combining ugo's robots and "ugo Platform" with Tokyo Gas's on-site knowledge of utility facility management, Tokyo Gas aims to replace and supplement tasks such as nighttime patrols and high-workload inspections in utility facility management sites with robots, thereby improving on-site safety and productivity, and achieving cost optimization.
Initially, the company will promote the introduction of robots and "ugo Platform" at facilities owned by the Tokyo Gas Group. In the future, they plan to provide solutions for labor-saving and advanced facility management by leveraging operational know-how, and also consider data linkage between "ugo Platform" and utility facility management, monitoring, and maintenance-related systems owned or developed by the Tokyo Gas Group.
Furthermore, Tokyo Gas Engineering Solutions Corporation, a subsidiary of Tokyo Gas, and ugo have already conducted a concept demonstration (Note 2) at the Kiyohara Smart Energy Center for labor-saving and advanced utility facility management. Taking this investment as an opportunity, they will promote introduction at Tokyo Gas Group facilities and accelerate social implementation through the provision of labor-saving and advanced facility management solutions.
This investment is aimed at utilizing robots in utility facility management and is the first instance of an energy supply provider investing in ugo.
Due to the advancement of an aging population and labor shortages in Japan, labor shortages are becoming severe in the field of facility inspection and security.
ugo is a startup that specializes in the inspection and security domain, developing and providing a cloud-based software platform "ugo Platform" equipped with robot hardware and remote control/autonomous control capabilities, integrated as a single unit.
By combining ugo's robots and "ugo Platform" with Tokyo Gas's on-site knowledge of utility facility management, Tokyo Gas aims to replace and supplement tasks such as nighttime patrols and high-workload inspections in utility facility management sites with robots, thereby improving on-site safety and productivity, and achieving cost optimization.
Initially, the company will promote the introduction of robots and "ugo Platform" at facilities owned by the Tokyo Gas Group. In the future, they plan to provide solutions for labor-saving and advanced facility management by leveraging operational know-how, and also consider data linkage between "ugo Platform" and utility facility management, monitoring, and maintenance-related systems owned or developed by the Tokyo Gas Group.
Furthermore, Tokyo Gas Engineering Solutions Corporation, a subsidiary of Tokyo Gas, and ugo have already conducted a concept demonstration (Note 2) at the Kiyohara Smart Energy Center for labor-saving and advanced utility facility management. Taking this investment as an opportunity, they will promote introduction at Tokyo Gas Group facilities and accelerate social implementation through the provision of labor-saving and advanced facility management solutions.