Program

Last updated:

KUNIYOSHI Yasuo PD Photo

Moonshot Goal 3Realization of AI robots that autonomously learn, adapt to their environment, evolve in intelligence and act alongside human beings, by 2050.

Program Director (PD)KUNIYOSHI YasuoDirector, Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Research Center of The University of Tokyo / Professor, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo

Outline

Considering Japan’s declining birthrate and aging population, it is important that robots can be used in all aspects of society - such as working in dangerous or understaffed sites, developing human frontiers, and supporting our everyday lives. For that purpose, robots must be able to learn and act on their own through the co-evolution of AI and robots. Our R&D aims to realize AI robots with advanced bodies and self-developed AI learning.

Message from PD

Our vision for 2050 is a world where general-purpose autonomous humanoid AI robots support every aspect of human society, dramatically enhancing human well-being. In such a society, robots will be ubiquitous as part of the infrastructure, and they must be capable of being flexibly deployed in response to emergencies and labor shortages.
To realize this vision, true general autonomy—defined as the ability to perform essentially any task that a human can—is indispensable. Achieving this requires capabilities such as understanding humans, learning in real time, ensuring safety in interactions with people, possessing human-level operational skills, and exhibiting a high degree of adaptability to diverse environments. To this end, we will establish a research portfolio that integrates three complementary frameworks—integrated research, specialized research, and elemental research—thereby covering a wide range of fields while achieving advanced system integration. Through innovative thinking that goes beyond conventional extensions, together with bold new ideas from early-career researchers and interdisciplinary collaboration, we aim to achieve this critical breakthrough.

R&D Projects

Selected in FY2026

Smart Robot AIREC that is Close to One Person for a Lifetime
Project Manager
OGATA Tetsuya
Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University
General-Purpose Autonomous Humanoids Growing through Multi-layered Instruction and Inheritance
Project Manager
KAWAHARAZUKA Kento
Lecturer, Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Research Center, The University of Tokyo
Integrated Research and Development of Humanoids Capable of Operating in Challenging Environments
Project Manager
HARADA Kensuke
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka
Force Control as a Bridge between the Information World and the Physical World
Project Manager
SAKAINO Sho
Associate Professor, Institute of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba
Robotics Platform for Emergent Intelligence Grounded in the Order of Embodied Interactions
Project Manager
NOZAKI Takahiro
Associate Professor, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University
Neuro-Robotics Pioneering Multimodal AI-Integrated Humanoid in Agriculture
Project Manager
HAYASHIBE Mitsuhiro
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University
Creation of Embodied Intelligence through Self-Reinforcing Capability Expansion
Project Manager
MORIMOTO Jun
Professor, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University
Next-Generation Humanoid AI Robots through Whole-Body Tactile Intelligence
Project Manager
IIDA Fumiya
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Development of Dynamical Representation Learning for Cooperative Stable Motions and a Data‑Driven Motion Primitive Generation Framework
Project Manager
KAWAHARA Yoshinobu
Professor, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Osaka
E-Skin-Integrated Robotic Hand Inspired by Human Tactile Perception and Cognition
Project Manager
TAKEI Kuniharu
Professor, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University
Embodied Safety by Robotic Core Elements: Creating Intrinsically Safe Mechanisms by Extracting Principles from the Living Body’s Inherent Underactuated Drive Mechanisms
Project Manager
TADAKUMA Kenjiro
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering Science, The University of Osaka
An AI Robot with a High-Efficiency Body for Mobility in Public Spaces
Project Manager
NAKAGAWA Chihiro
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Metropolitan University
Learning to Learn: Principles of Active On-Site Learning for General-Purpose Robots
Project Manager
NONAKA Tetsushi
Professor, Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University
An Elemental Study of Motion Assist Robots Capable of Inferring Human States
Project Manager
YOSHIMURA Natsue
Professor, School of Computing /Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Science Tokyo

Past Project (Click here)

Past Project

Smart Robot that is Close to One Person for a Lifetime
Project Manager
SUGANO Shigeki
Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University
Outline

This project aims to establish robot evolution technology that combines flexible machine hardware and unique AI that can understand many kinds of tasks. Our final goal is to build a human-robot symbiotic society by introducing a general-purpose AI robot that can work with people not only in housework and customer service but also in welfare and medical fields where human resources will be in short supply by 2050.

Collaborative AI robots for adaptation of diverse environments and innovation of infrastructure construction
Project Manager
NAGATANI Keiji
Professor, Institute of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba
Outline

This project aims to develop collaborative AI robots that respond to various situations flexibly and perform given tasks in challenging environments such as disaster sites. By 2050 these collaborative AI robots will, on behalf of humans, conduct emergency response missions following natural disasters. This technology will also be useful for the construction and maintenance of ground infrastructure.

Co-evolution of Human and AI-Robots to Expand Science Frontiers
Project Manager
HARADA Kanako
Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
Outline

This project aims to develop AI-robots that conduct scientific experiments in challenging environments (e.g. in a hazardous atmosphere, or in a micro-scale setup), while interacting with scientists as their peers. AI robots and scientists will have freer interactions, and will work with unfamiliar objects and environments through trial-and-error together. By 2050 AI-robots will discover their own principles and solutions in the science fields.

Adaptable AI-enabled Robots to Create a Vibrant Society
Project Manager
HIRATA Yasuhisa
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University
Outline

This project aims to create a collective of adaptable AI-enabled robots available at a variety of places. Each robot will be usable by anyone at any time, and will adjust its form and functions according to the individual user to provide optimal assistance and services. By 2050 the co-existence and co-evolution of a wide variety of robots and people will create a vibrant society in which all people can participate.

New Life Spheres Opened up by AI Robots
Project Manager
UENO Munetaka
Research and Engineering leader, Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Outline

The goal of international human exploration program is to establish independent biospheres in the extreme environments of the Moon and Mars, shaking off our dependency on Earth. This research project aims to realize biospheres in which humans can be active for a long period of time by conducting research and development toward the construction of a base system with smart technology, behavior-modifying technology, etc., while developing and utilizing AI robot technology for the elements backcasted by this achievement.

AI & Robots that Harmonize with Humans to Create Knowledge and Cross Its Borders
Project Manager
USHIKU Yoshitaka
Vice President for Research, OMRON SINIC X Corporation
Outline

Deductive reasoning is necessary for paradigm-sustaining innovation. For paradigm disruption, abductive reasoning and knowledge creation have a key role. Transilience is also required for transdisciplinary paradigm disruption. This project aims to realize an AI that first understands and reviews such researchers' ideas based on their research articles. We will then develop AI robots that can conduct research in a loop of assertion, experiment, analysis, and description while interacting with human researchers by 2030. We aim for a world where humans and AI are in harmony and produce Nobel Prize-level research by 2050.

AI Robots which Help to Envision Promising Future Together with Users and Encourage Action toward It
Project Manager
OTAKE Mihoko
Team Leader, RIKEN Center for Advanced Intelligence Project
Outline

Behavioral change support robots will be developed, which help identify personal values, and encourage actions leading to well-being based on the identified personal values. This project aims to develop three key technologies: 1) to collect diverse stories including wisdom, knowledge, and experiences; 2) to estimate feelings, thoughts, and personal values from verbal and nonverbal behaviors during conversations; 3) to encourage actions through providing stories which indicate novel perspectives and manners based on identified personal values. We aim to realize AI robots that will by 2050 help to envision promising future together with users and encourage users for actions towards them.

Intelligent Multi Agents for Exploration and Settlement in Unknown and Unexplored Areas
Project Manager
KUNII Yasuharu
Professor, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University
Outline

Our project aims to explore and construct a habitable environment in the unknown environments of lunar lava tubes using small swarm robots. We tackle the research and development of both software and hardware aspects of the necessary functions for achieving our goals, including the ability for small exploration robots to gather in swarms and perform autonomous behaviors, functions for robots and systems to evolve, robot locomotion mechanisms to traverse challenging environments, and intelligence through shared AI functions. Through these efforts, we aim to create a future where humans can live inside lunar lava tubes by 2050.

Awareness AI Robot System for leading proactive behavior improvement
Project Manager
SHIMODA Shingo
Designated Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University
Outline

This project aims to develop Awareness AI to support our proactive lives based on our individual requirements, social roles, and hopes for the future. In the modern society where values among the people is diverged, people must become aware of what to do or what they want to do by ourselves in daily life. Awareness AI assists this decision via the appropriate stimulation of our unconscious thought processes. By 2050, we create a society where everybody can live proactively according to their best-fit social role and hopes for the future through the awareness AI support.

New World of Inspiration by Co-evolution of Humans, AI Robots, and Biological Cyborgs
Project Manager
MORISHIMA Keisuke
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University
Outline

By analyzing activity information and surrounding environment information obtained from a group of biological cyborgs equipped with ultra-small sensors, communication equipment and behavior control units, we will understand the principles of action and use them to develop a self-organizing platform using AI that stimulates human behavior and enables people and robots to collaborate without any sense of incongruity. By 2050, we aim to create a world where people and robots can work in harmony with each other.

Self-Evolving AI Robot System for Lunar Exploration and Human Outpost Construction
Project Manager
YOSHIDA Kazuya
Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University
Outline

This project aims to develop a self-evolving AI robot system for lunar exploration and human outpost construction. Core technologies will be established that effectively utilize the components deployed to the moon, enabling modules to be reconfigured according to lunar conditions and mission tasks. By 2050, exploration and resource utilization on the moon will be promoted to realize sustainable outposts for human presence in space.

Program Overview through November 2025

(Click here)

Moonshot Goal 3Realization of AI robots that autonomously learn, adapt to their environment, evolve in intelligence and act alongside human beings, by 2050.

Program Director (PD)FUKUDA ToshioVisiting Professor, Institute of Innovation for Future Society, Nagoya University

Considering Japan’s declining birthrate and aging population, it is important that robots can be used in all aspects of society - such as working in dangerous or understaffed sites, developing human frontiers, and supporting our everyday lives. For that purpose, robots must be able to learn and act on their own through the co-evolution of AI and robots. Our R&D aims to realize AI robots with advanced bodies and self-developed AI learning.

A Vision of Society in 2050 (Illustrated Guide)

A Vision of Society in 2050 (Illustrated Guide)

What might the future look like in 2050 if Goal 3 is realized? An illustrated guide.

Message from PD

Our R&D aims to achieve the following three outcomes by 2050:
(1) AI robots that autonomously make judgements and act in environments where it is difficult for humans to act.
(2) An automated AI robot system that aims to discover impactful scientific principles and solutions, by thinking and acting in the field of natural science.
(3) AI robots that humans feel comfortable with, have physical abilities equivalent to or greater than humans, and grow in harmony with human life.

The following two concepts are core to our work:
(1) Coevolution: AI technology and robot technology cooperate to improve their own performance.
(2) Self-organization: AI technology and robot technology self-modify their own knowledge and functions to adapt to their environment.

Advisors

Click here to see the list of advisors

FUJITA Masahiro* Representative of MF AI-Robotics Laboratory
KARASAWA Kaori Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo / Senior Research Fellow, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
KONNO Atsushi Professor, Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University
HARADA Tatsuya Professor, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo
HOSODA Koh Professor, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University
MURAKAMI Hiroki Technical Advisor, Corporate Research & Development Division, IHI Corporation
YOKOI Kazuhito Director General, Technology and Innovation Strategy Center, NEDO

*Sub Program Director

Goal 3 News

Contact

Goal 3 Secretariat
Department of Moonshot Research and Development Program, Japan Science and Technology Agency

e-mail moonshot-goal3メールアドレスjst.go.jp