Waseda University, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, and Shimizu Corporation are to begin research and development of phase-free robots that can be utilized in both normal and emergency situations. The principal investigator is Professor Shigeki Sugano of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Waseda University, who also serves as Director of the Future Robotics Organization.
As global warming progresses, the frequency of heavy rainfall and linear precipitation zones has increased, heightening the risk of floods and landslides caused by rapid river rises. Additionally, approximately 20% of earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher occurring worldwide take place in and around Japan.
In Japan, a country prone to disasters, there is a need to strengthen support systems for natural disasters. One such measure is the expectation of robots that can be immediately deployed to assist victims when disasters occur.
However, the effective way to achieve this is the social implementation of robots that can be used both in emergencies and in normal times. Yet at present, the introduction of such phase-free disaster response robots has not progressed sufficiently.
The research and development being pursued by these three organizations aims to achieve phase-free robots by the end of FY2027. It will be possible to utilize these robots in various situations during normal times, including manufacturing, logistics, construction, offices, and nursing care, and they can then be repurposed during emergencies for tasks such as victim detection, relief supply distribution, patrol, and cleanup.
The expectation is for the development and social implementation of these phase-free robots to be achieved by the end of this fiscal year. It is assumed that to enable partial social implementation of the project results even in the middle of the development period, R&D and verification will be repeated continuously.
The research and development will be promoted by a research team consisting of the three organizations. In terms of their respective roles, Waseda University will be responsible for the research and development of hardware and AI-related elemental technologies for phase-free robots, as well as the coordination of this research and development. Mitsubishi Electric and Shimizu Corporation will be responsible for the social implementation of phase-free robot utilization solutions through their business activities.
Sugano commented: "Waseda University has been engaged in the research and development of smart robot manipulation technology and AI implementation through initiatives such as the Cabinet Office's Moonshot Research and Development Program. Through this research and development, we aim to advance our previous research outcomes and implement these achievements in phase-free robots, thereby contributing to the realization of robots that can be utilized in disaster-affected area support."
■ Phase-free robot: A robot designed to be used in industrial and nursing care settings while also equipped with functions to support disaster-affected areas. "Phase Free" is a registered trademark defined by the Phase Free Association and refers to the concept of being free across two phases: everyday situations and emergencies. In the research and development being carried out by the three organizations, "everyday situations" is expressed as "normal times."
This article has been translated by JST with permission from The Science News Ltd. (https://sci-news.co.jp/). Unauthorized reproduction of the article and photographs is prohibited.