AI inside and the Space Robotics Lab of Tohoku University Launch a Collaborative Research Project on “Next-Generation AI With High Durability, High Performance, and Energy Efficiency”

For Operations on the Moon, in Space, and in other Extreme Environments

Tokyo, March 2, 2023 — AI inside Inc., which promotes the democratization of AI by providing AI infrastructure, announces the signing of a collaborative research agreement with Dr. Kazuya Yoshida’s Space Robotics Lab of Tohoku University on joint development and social implementation of next-generation AI with high durability, high performance, and energy efficiency for use in extreme environments. The Space Robotics Lab has been involved in numerous space development projects to date including the “Moonshot Research and Development Program” of Japan’s Cabinet Office.

The collaboration will draw on the leading-edge AI element technologies of AI inside, including those at the research stage, and its successes and expertise in the social implementation of AI technology ahead of other companies, together with the know-how of the Space Robotics Lab in lunar surveys and space development and its many technology seeds in the space robotics field. The aim will be to accelerate space exploration and seek solutions for global challenges such as climate change, overpopulation, and food crises while contributing to the advancement of human society.

Background

For humankind, the significance of venturing into space is not only about the scientific aspect of looking for the universe’s origin and life, but alsoan important undertaking for enriching human life in many areas. This includes obtaining food, energy, and other resources that are insufficient or difficult to get on Earth; expanding living spaces outside the Earth in anticipation of overpopulation and climate change; and using the unique space environment to improve technologies for purposes such as medical care and communications.

Given this great significance, many governments, academic institutions, and corporations around the world are pouring resources into accelerating space development. According to a survey by Morgan Stanley,^*1 by 2040 the size of the global space economy is expected to triple from its present level to exceed a trillion dollars in revenue generated. From the standpoint also of job creation from the emergence of huge new industries, this growth will bring about great social value.

Whereas most space development projects up to now have been carried out on the initiative of national government institutions, private companies have lately entered the market, putting to use their original knowledge and technological capabilities. In the US in particular, venture and startup companies have been driving forces for the growth of the space industry, leveraging their technology strengths, inventiveness, and agility. In Japan, as well, space ventures and startups have increased rapidly these past few years, as space development is accelerating. For the further growth of Japan’s space industry, it will be necessary to form an ecosystem through collaboration across industry, government, and academia, concentrating on technical capability, agility, and fundraising to strengthen the foundations of the space industry.

*1 Morgan Stanley, Space: Investing in the Final Frontier

Details of the Collaboration

AI inside and Dr. Kazuya Yoshida’s Space Robotics Lab of Tohoku University have concluded a collaborative research agreement. Under the agreement, the two parties will draw on their respective strengths to promote the development and social implementation of next-generation AI with high  durability, high performance, and energy efficiency capable of creating value in extreme environments such as the moon and space that are difficult for humans to operate in. In so doing, we will contribute to solving global-scale social challenges such as climate change, overpopulation, and food crises while helping toward the advancement of human society.

AI inside has been a leader among companies in turning AI element technologies into products and implementing them in society. Not limited to software development, the company also is involved in hardware for optimal AI operation in the customer’s use environment, having wide-ranging technology and expertise as an AI platformer. What’s more, the company has leading-edge AI element technologies, including those at the research stage, which includes “Autonomous Learning,” whereby the AI learns on its own and successively generates new AI models. It also has technology for configuring virtual distributed AI networks. The Space Robotics Lab of Dr. Kazuya Yoshida has been involved in numerous space development projects including the Moonshot Research and Development Program of Japan’s Cabinet Office and has a wealth of knowledge on lunar surveys and space development, as well as technologies in the robotics field.

By drawing on the synergies from combining the expertise and technologies of the two parties, we will first develop AI capable of highly reliable and efficient intelligent activities even in environments full of uncertainty and confusion and involving extreme situational changes, such as those encountered in the moon and planet exploration or at disaster sites.

Comments by the Parties to the Agreement

Kazuya Yoshida, Professor in the Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University

Our laboratory has been engaged in R&D on robotics for space development and exploration since the 1990s. To date, we have contributed to orbital robot research and testing in space, the development of the Hayabusa asteroid sample-return probe, R&D on lunar and planetary exploration robots, and R&D on microsatellites created in university laboratories. In 2022 we were chosen as participants in the Moonshot Research and Development Program of Japan’s Cabinet Office. We are also working on AI robot system development for lunar development in the 2050s. Numerous technological challenges must be overcome for robot systems to be able to function in space environments different from those on Earth, but AI technology is essential if robots are to conduct intelligent activities in place of human beings in extreme environments difficult for humans to reach. With the recent dizzying pace of advances in AI technology, capabilities that were formerly thought to be fantasy are being realized one after another. By carrying out collaborative research with AI inside, which has strongly promoted the social implementation of these kinds of extreme AI technologies, I am confident we will be able to raise the practicality of the space robot systems we develop, and that results will be born that greatly expand the possibilities of future space activities.

Taku Toguchi, Representative Director, President & CEO, and CPO, AI inside

Driven by the mission of “Contribute to human evolution and people’s happiness by making the extraordinary into the ordinary with AI and technology,” we have been a leader among companies in the social implementation of AI technologies. Now we will be taking on the new challenge of exponentially expanding the reach of human activities and solving such global issues as lack of resources and overpopulation. To achieve these goals, outside-the-box disruptive innovations are necessary, such as autonomous AI, dramatically reduced power consumption, and overcoming the limitations of Deep Learning. I am confident that we and the Space Robotics Lab, sharing the same aspirations, are ideal partners. Through our concerted efforts, I believe we can give birth to new technologies and contribute to the advancement of the space industry.

About the Space Robotics Lab of Tohoku University

Scientists at the Space Robotics Lab of Tohoku University conduct research on orbital robots and space exploration robots for surveying planets. By clarifying the dynamics of robots operating in space, we are developing new mechanisms and control methods. The laboratory has been deeply involved in Japan’s space development missions to date, led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Moreover, leveraging the technologies gained from developing robust robots for operation in the harsh environment of space, we are actively seeking to apply these to technologies required on Earth such as disaster relief robots and environment monitoring systems.

About AI inside Inc. 

AI inside provides an AI platform and professional services that enable business operations and decision-making through the use of data under the mission of “to bring AI to every being in the world and contribute to a richer future society.” Our clients include government agencies, local governments, and major corporations, and we contribute to the promotion of DX and the resolution of management issues by achieving optimal AI operations through our proprietary software and hardware. 

Company Name: AI inside Inc. 
Location: 4th Floor, 3-8-12 Shibuya Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo, Japan 
Representative: Representative Director, President & CEO (Concurrently) CPO Taku Toguchi 
Founded: August 2015 
Business details: Development and provision of artificial intelligence and related information services
HP: https://inside.ai/en/

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