A Tele-operated Humanoid Operator

This is the first successful trial in the world to remotely control a humanoid robot so as to drive an industrial vehicle in lieu of a human operator. These results were achieved thanks to the development of the following three technologies: (1) ”remote control technology” for instructing the humanoid to perform total body movements under remote control and the ”remote control system” for executing the remote control tasks; (2) ”protection technology” for protecting the humanoid against shock and vibrations of its operating seat and against the influences of the natural environment such as rain and dust; and (3) ”full-body operation control technology” for controlling the humanoid’s total body movements with autonomous control to prevent the robot from falling over. The humanoid has promising application potential for restoration work in environments struck by catastrophes and in civil engineering and construction project sites where it can ”work” safely and smoothly.