Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and Chiba Institute of Technology have signed a three-year basic agreement to research and develop homegrown physical AI technologies for use in public- and private-sector applications. The collaboration will include the establishment of a co-creation center and work toward commercializing AI robotics solutions using autonomously controlled robots, including multi-legged walking robots, humanoid robots and drone-type robots. The agreement is planned to run through April 2029.
The partners plan to combine Mitsubishi Electric’s manufacturing, maintenance and inspection expertise with Chiba Institute of Technology’s robotics research capabilities. Mitsubishi Electric brings experience in infrastructure systems, including water-environment and power systems, as well as motion-control and sensing technologies developed through factory automation products such as its MELFA ASSISTA collaborative robot. Chiba Institute of Technology, through its Future Robotics Technology Center, has worked on robotics for real-world environments, including robots used in nuclear power plants and disaster-site investigation and rescue.
The planned work will focus on physical AI and related technologies for infrastructure maintenance, manufacturing, disaster response and logistics. The companies said the technology is intended to support autonomous robots that can adjust to real-world conditions and perform tasks such as tool handling, equipment adjustment, machining and assembly.
Kunihiko Kaga, Mitsubishi Electric’s representative executive officer, executive vice president and chief technology officer, said the co-creation center would support research and development of physical AI for robots with situational adaptability “equal to or beyond that of humans,” including potential use in unmanned factories. Takayuki Furuta, director of the board of trustees and director of the Future Robotics Technology Center at Chiba Institute of Technology, said the partners would work on next-generation physical AI, DevOps and faster innovation cycles to expand practical uses of robotics.
Under the agreement, Mitsubishi Electric will focus on developing and implementing AI robotics solutions using its business assets, including manufacturing, maintenance and inspection knowledge, motion-control technologies and sensing technologies. Chiba Institute of Technology will focus on humanoid, quadruped and other autonomously controlled robotics technologies using large-scale physical models designed to respond flexibly to changing conditions, as well as general-purpose dexterous manipulation capabilities.
