Japanese company GMO AI & Robots has put some thought into a new service that’s really obvious once someone points it out. Humanoid robots will require repair services frequently, especially once they’re out in the world. To that end, the company is launching the “first dedicated maintenance vehicle for humanoid robots” this month.
It’ll obviously operate in Japan, one of the few Asian countries with humanoid robots already in working roles. According to GMO, its vehicles will “provide on-site support in case of breakdowns and troubles [while] building a new infrastructure for the social implementation of humanoid robots.”
GMO’s not free
Despite the vehicle’s shape and livery, GMO’s service probably won’t be constantly rushing critically damaged robots to a special robot hospital. Instead, the vehicles will carry tools and a human engineer to provide a sort of roadside assistance to broken-down ‘bots. That said, the company has also shared images of the vehicle’s interior, and it’s definitely running with the whole ‘medical assistance’ theme.
Repairs will be conducted on-site as much as possible, but there is a special robot hospital for extremely damaged units. One of these facilities is the “GMO Humanoid Lab Shibuya Showroom, a physical AI development base.” A replacement robot will take the place of the damaged unit.
In human terms, imagine a delivery driver is involved in an accident. When the ambulance arrives, it also brings a new driver with an undamaged motorcycle to continue the delivery. That’s the sort of thing the folks at GMO AI & Robotics envision with its ‘ambulance’ service. It’s also something we’ll see more of in the near future. Whether everyone leans into the whole medical vibe or if something more industrial becomes the norm remains to be seen. This problem could be solved just as easily with a double-cab and a sturdy set of roof racks.
