A tele-operated humanoid robot drives a backhoe

Abstract

In this paper, we will describe our attempt for a tele-operated humanoid robot to drive a backhoe. It will be possible for a humanoid robot to drive an industrial vehicle instead of a human operator. If a humanoid robot can be operated by a human operator from a remote site, it enables t o USI a general type of vehicle safely in a dangerous field. We introduced a backhoe as the target vehicle to show the possibility of driving a vehicle in a sitting posture. The robot sits down with balancing on a cockpit of the backhoe and manipulates control levers for driving. We developed a portable remote control device and remote control methods to operate the humanoid robot. For the evaluation, it is tested to sit down and manipulate the levers on the driving cockpit of the real backhoe. To compare it with a human's work, the eficiency is close to practical use.

Towards emergency response humanoid robots

“…For instance, Hasunuma realized a humanoid robot that drives a backhoe by teleoperation [26,27] (see Fig. 3).…”

Vision‐based operations of a large industrial vehicle: Autonomous hot metal carrier

“…Localization of the vehicles is provided by a web-cam sensing lines painted on the floor. Hasunuma et al (2003) demonstrate a different approach to automating vehicles by using a humanoid robot to operate the controls of a conventional vehicle. The advantages of using a humanoid are that the vehicle does not necessarily have to be modified to allow pseudo-autonomous operation and the robot can be used for other tasks.…”

Toward autonomous car driving by a humanoid robot: A sensor-based framework

“…Indeed, in disaster situations, such as those exemplified by major nuclear accidents, the robot helper must operate utility vehicles normally driven by humans, not only to travel around the site, but also to transport tools, debris, or whatever needs to be moved. The robot should also be capable of operating cranks or other specific tools attached to the vehicle [10], [11]. It is unlikely to see such vehicles instrumented for automated driving.…”