AI & Humanoids

Video: Humanoid chauffeur put in the driving seat for robotaxi future

View 3 Images
Researchers from the University of Tokyo's Jouhou System Kougaku Lab trained the Musashi humanoid to drive a car like a human... sort of
Kento Kawaharazuka et al
Researchers from the University of Tokyo's Jouhou System Kougaku Lab trained the Musashi humanoid to drive a car like a human... sort of
Kento Kawaharazuka et al
Instead of installing autonomous driving technologies in a vehicle, the JSK Lab project looks at putting a humanoid behind the wheel
Kento Kawaharazuka et al
The JSK Lab project explored a possible autonomous vehicle future with the help of a Musashi humanoid and a COMS micro-EV
Kento Kawaharazuka et al
View gallery - 3 images

Japanese researchers have released footage of a humanoid robot called Musashi sitting in the driving seat of an electric micro-car to examine a possible future direction for autonomous vehicle technologies.

The current push for autonomous vehicles pretty much follows the same path, where technologies such as LiDAR, vision cameras, GPS, complex algorithms and controls systems are installed throughout the Johnny Cab and work together to safely navigate city streets and beyond.

At least that's the general idea, although real-world deployment has been something of a mixed bag of successes and headline-grabbing failures. But what if cars didn't need to pack all this advanced tech to get from A to B without a human driver at the wheel? That's the direction that University of Tokyo researchers and Musashi are headed.

Musashi is a "musculoskeletal humanoid" developed by the research group in 2019 as a testbed for learning control systems. The form factor not only has similar proportions to a human counterpart but also features a "joint and muscle structure" inspired by the human body.

The robot has now found use in an autonomous driving project where it's been trained by members of the Jouhou System Kougaku Lab to master driving in a similar way to humans. With varying degrees of success, as you can see in the video below.

Musashi's head is home to a high-resolution vision camera in each movable eye, which can pan and tilt to obtain different views of the world – straight ahead, for example, or quickly checking side mirrors. Five-digit hands on the end of jointed arms turn the steering wheel as determined by the learning software and sensor data, while also being able to pull the handbrake, turn an ignition key and operate turn signaling. And grippy feet push down on brake and accelerator pedals when needed.

The humanoid sits in the driving seat of a business variant of a single-seater electric micro-car named the COMS (Chotto Odekake Machimade Suisui), which was launched by Toyota in 2012. The team equipped the vehicle with a Wi-Fi router and Intel NUC PC to run the recognition module as well as a servo power supply, though expects such things to be incorporated into future humanoids.

The JSK Lab project explored a possible autonomous vehicle future with the help of a Musashi humanoid and a COMS micro-EV
Kento Kawaharazuka et al

The real-world driving tests were undertaken at the University of Tokyo's Kashiwa Campus, where Musashi hit the brakes when a human was detected or a car horn sounded, and also responded to traffic lights. But it wasn't all smooth going, as the software wasn't trained to handle inclines so maintaining a constant crawl up hills proved problematic, and turning a corner took minutes rather than seconds.

But it's obviously very early days for autonomous driving by humanoid. Assuming development continues apace, potential advantages to this method over cars kitted out with autonomous driving tech might include the vehicle itself not needing to be modified, and the robot driver being able to undertake other tasks between trips (such as carrying the shopping or switching roles to household helper). The researchers also say that the sensor-packed robot could serve as a crash test dummy for automakers.

A paper on the project was first presented at ICRA 2021 is now available on arXiv.

Sources: JSK, Kento Kawaharazuka

View gallery - 3 images
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Flipboard
  • LinkedIn
7 comments
veryken
This showcases the total stupid flaw of nerdy engineers doing marketing. Humanoid anything in any driving position is purely for appearance and psychological persuasion. Sensors in such a robot are so fundamentally inferior to sensors built into the vehicle. And don't even mention the mobility and movements that are required of the humanoid limbs compared to built-in chassis actuators wired directly into the vehicle. It would be better to create a holographic concierge or just install a flatscreen to display a talking face to the rear passengers.
MCG
I agree with @veryken that a robot could have the same limitations as a human, blind spot etc. Whereas sensors in a vehicle would be superior. However, I still see this as an interesting idea. I propose a marriage between the systems. Which could have implications for mobility, price, and security. If the "brains" of the system can walk out of the car and be stored in a facility or home, this is more secure, making the car less attractive to thieves, and storing part of the brain away. So the idea to merge systems would be that some of the sensors are still in the car, the robot simply plugs-in before beginning to drive, perhaps a part of the seat belt designed just for the bot. This way it might be the best of both worlds. Also, why have just a car with super intelligence when you can have a bot too? This might make the cars of the future and a butler/security guard for the home or office more accessible price wise.
Trylon
Can Johnny Cab be far behind?
YourAmazonOrder
JohnnyCab - from Total Recall.
Voice of Reason
Ha! Johnny cab was the first thought! Regarding other posts, If the robot 'plugged into' the vehicle, where the vehicle had the superior sensors for its particular task, and the robot was acting as the interface or was the cpu, the system may make sense. I suppose its cheaper to build one super fast mobile cpu and have it plug into whatever specialized utility you needed at any time, be it car, plane, etc. Than to have make all those other things smart as well.
Cymon Curcumin
While not the way forward for automated vehicles it is a good challenge for the technology and helpful for cross training (improving performance on unrelated tasks by training on varied other tasks). And the article mentioned having robotic crash test dummies which might be an interesting idea.

And just because a humanoid robot isn’t an ideal form of automated driving doesn’t mean it is completely useless skill. Especially in a private compound.
ljaques
Johnny cab? SOMEONE has been watching old Schwartzenegger movies. Mars, anyone? ;) As slow as humanoid robots are to respond to external stimuli and/or internal input, that would be an instant negative to the progress autonomous vehicles have now achieved. That right turn was painfully slow. Please add a 1000% increase there. Cute little townie car, though.