• 13 Jun, 2024
• Joshua Miller
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Revolutionary Humanoid Robot Musashi Takes the Driver’s Seat: The Future of Autonomous Cars

Revolutionary Humanoid Robot Musashi Takes the Driver’s Seat: The Future of Autonomous Cars

Could a humanoid robot be the key to autonomous cars that avoid pedestrians and steer clear of telephone poles? Researchers at the University of Tokyo think so. In a newly published technical paper, they present Musashi, a “musculoskeletal humanoid” designed to drive a car, marking a significant step forward as Revolutionary Humanoid Robot Musashi Takes the Driver’s Seat: The Future of Autonomous Cars.

Musashi, a product of advanced robotics, was trained to navigate a small electric car through a test track. With two cameras functioning as eyes, Musashi can “see” the road and the side mirrors. Its mechanical hands handle tasks like rotating the car’s key, pulling the handbrake, and switching on the turn signal. Equipped with anti-slip “feet,” it can press the accelerator and brake pedals.

After training with raw sensor data, Musashi successfully turned a corner at an intersection while respecting traffic signals. However, it took an unusually long two minutes to complete the turn because Musashi carefully lifted its “foot” off the brake pedal without tapping the accelerator. This cautious approach is due to current technical limitations, according to the researchers.

In a separate test, Musashi did use the accelerator but struggled to maintain consistent speed, especially on inclines. Despite these challenges, the researchers are optimistic and are already planning to develop a next-gen robot and software. Perhaps in a few decades, Musashi could be driving your Tokyo taxi.

Stay tuned as this technology evolves and brings us closer to a future where humanoid robots might be behind the wheel.

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