Toyota and NTT DOCOMO wirelessly controlled Toyota's T-HR3 humanoid robot over a distance of about 10 kilometres during a trial. This involved the use of a 5G connection.
Japan's Toyota has been developing humanoid robots for some time, the most recent being the T-HR3. This robot was announced in late 2017 and, like its predecessors, looks a lot like humans. For instance, the robot features a head, two legs and two hands with a total of 10 fingers. The device is 1.5 metres tall and weighs 75 kilograms.
Supporting humans
The T-HR3 is designed as a partner robot that can support people in a variety of conditions. For example, the robot can be used on construction sites, in disaster areas or in space to perform dangerous tasks, as well as in healthcare facilities or homes.
The robot can be controlled by a human, who takes a seat in the Master Manuevering System is called for this purpose. Using this system, a user can use 'portable controls' to control the robot's hands, arms and feet. A headset allows live viewing of a camera attached to the robot.
Force feedback
The humanoid robot links touches back to the user via a force feedback system, among other things. Thanks to this system, the user can feel, for example, via 'feeling signals' that the T-HR3 is touching a certain object with its hand. These signals help the user control the robot.
The robot's movements are provided by various modules incorporated in the T-HR3. For instance, torque servo modules are deployed to regulate the force exerted by the robot. These modules are also deployed to coordinate and balance the body. Thus, the modules enable the T-HR3 to maintain its balance if it collides with objects in its environment.
Low-latency connection
The connection between the robot and the driver is crucial. For example, movements can be jerky or slowed down if this connection is not optimal. Toyota therefore previously used a cabled connection, which provides minimal latency. However, this cabling limits the robot's deployability, partly because the distance between the user and the robot is limited. Therefore, to increase the deployability this time, a trial was conducted using 5G technology from NTT DOCOMO. During this test, the party succeeded in wirelessly controlling the T-HR3 over a distance of 10 kilometres.
5G is the successor to 4G, a technology best known for mobile data connections. 5G technology offers significantly higher data speeds and significantly lower latency compared to 4G. Toyota and NTT DOCOMO plan to continue testing the application of 5G technology to robots in the near future. The parties intend to develop technologies and services around this combination, which they plan to bring to market by 2020.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Toyota (pictured)
