Driverless cars have been a hot topic in the tech world, with companies like Tesla and Google leading the charge. However, a group of scientists from the University of Tokyo, led by Dr. Kento Kawaharazuka, have taken a different approach to this challenge. Instead of creating a fully autonomous vehicle, they have developed a humanoid robot called Musashi that can drive a regular car.
Musashi is not your typical robot. It is designed with a musculoskeletal structure that closely resembles the human body, with 74 “muscles” and 39 joints, excluding the hands. Its hands have five fingers each and there are pressure sensors on both hands and feet. This complex design allows Musashi to perform complex tasks such as turning the steering wheel, pressing the pedals, using the parking brake, turning the ignition key and even using indicators.
The robot's eyes are equipped with high-resolution cameras connected to artificial intelligence systems. These allow Musashi to recognize people in the exterior mirrors and react to driving events such as changing traffic lights or pedestrians entering the road.
However, Musashi is still in the early stages of development. Currently, the robot can only drive in a straight line and turn right, with a maximum speed of only 3 mph. Kawaharazuka acknowledges that speed and handling are not yet comparable to those of human drivers.
Despite these limitations, Kawaharazuka envisions a future where humanoid robots like Musashi could serve as versatile drivers, possibly hopping between different vehicles. This could allow owners of non-autonomous cars to literally take the back seat. However, significant challenges remain. Not only does the technology have to advance considerably, but there's also the question of whether passengers will feel comfortable letting a robot take the wheel.
As the field of robotics and self-driving technology continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how society adapts to the idea of ​​robotic drivers sharing our roads. Musashi represents an intriguing alternative approach to autonomous driving, combining advanced hardware design with sophisticated software modules. While it may be a long time before we see robots like Musashi driving celebrities to red carpet events, this technology opens up exciting possibilities for the future of transportation.
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