Humanoid Chauffeur

Humanoid robots are already being used at some production sites to assist people with a variety of tasks. However, their potential extends far beyond industrial production. This is because their human-like form is not merely a matter of appearance but is based on a functional technical concept: With legs, arms, hands, and the appropriate sensors, humanoid robots are designed to move through environments and interact with tools and systems originally developed for humans. This allows them to use doors and stairs, tools and machines, as well as vehicles and their controls, without having to completely adapt the existing infrastructure.

To do this, they must

• perceive and interpret their environment,
• understand situations and tasks in context,
• coordinate the movements of their legs, arms, and hands,
• stably control balance and whole-body movement,
• handle uncertainties in dynamic environments, and
• interact safely with humans.

Here at ika, we are already familiar with these challenges from the development of automated vehicles – for example, in sensor interpretation, real-time decision-making, and safe motion planning. But we are also familiar with the question of how users can interact safely with this technology.

In our Humanoid Chauffeur project, we therefore use humanoid robots as a key component in the automation of specialized vehicles, which involve a significant financial investment. This offers several advantages:

Vehicle Control
The steering wheel, pedals, and turn signals are operated just as they would be by a human driver, without any by-wire interface.

Communication in Traffic
Hand signals and gestures for pedestrians, construction workers, and traffic directors—situations where an empty driver’s seat would only raise questions.

Tasks Beyond Driving
Steps out to load and unload, open gates, operate barriers, or hand over tools. No driverless vehicle can do this on its own. This allows us to take a holistic view of automation in mobility rather than just automating individual steps.

In the next step, the current application will be implemented in a real truck. Furthermore, we’re using the experience gained from this project to identify additional use cases where human-like machines can take on tasks in the future.