[Science Agora Exhibition Report] How do smart robots run? Challenge yourself with autonomous driving!

At "Science Agora 2025," hosted by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST),
A-Co-Labo provided back-end support for the planning, preparation, and operation of the booth "Let's move a robot on a map!" exhibited by Tokyo Waterfront Holdings, Inc.

Booth Introduction

"How do smart robots make decisions and move?"

At this booth, children used a map of the Aomi Minami area to experience autonomous driving by actually operating robot cars.
We created an opportunity for them to touch upon the essence of "intelligence" by thinking for themselves about how to design routes and why things might not go as planned.

This time, we focused on designing an experience where children could "think for themselves about the mechanisms behind the robot car's movements."
Seeing the children creating routes on the map through trial and error, we were struck by their rich powers of observation and creativity.

After the experience, we also prepared a space where they could learn about how the robot cars work.

Actual Scenes

At the end of the exhibit, we set up a dialogue corner with the theme "What kind of robot is a smart robot?" where visitors could freely post their opinions on sticky notes.
This was an attempt to have them express in their own words what "intelligence in robots" means, rather than just "moving."
We aimed to create an opportunity to think about the definition of "intelligence" by gathering diverse perspectives from people of different ages and backgrounds.

From the A-Co-Labo planning team

For this project, we intentionally used a very simple robot that runs only on CdS elements, with the circuit board and parts exposed.
The goal was to have them experience the frustration of it "not moving as expected," "moving jerkily," or "derailing from the path they built."
For children who take technology for granted, "robots that move exactly as they want" are familiar.
That is precisely why we chose "learning the mechanism" and "re-questioning the obvious" as our themes this time.
We value the time parents and children spend not just making it move, but thinking together about "why does it move?" and "I think I could make this myself."

We also provided a dialogue space to think together about "what is a smart robot" after learning how it works. The sticky notes written by the children were filled with so many free and sharp opinions that we were even surprised.

Many people may feel that science and engineering are difficult.
However, "thinking about it together as a parent and child"—that small step might be the spark that nurtures the seeds of future engineers.

Participant feedback

• The explanation was easy to understand and felt professional, so it was a valuable experience.

• The mechanism was interesting.

• I wanted to increase the opportunities to express my own opinions about things.

• I thought it was important to have people think about what it could be applied to and what they thought about it.

• I thought I would try making a robot at home with my child, even if it's a bit simpler.

Aomi Minami is a field for robot demonstration testing

In the Aomi Minami area, AIST, TIRI, and others are collaborating to advance autonomous robot driving experiments in pedestrian spaces.
It is said that autonomous driving experiments assuming pedestrian spaces were conducted this year using the robots "Hacobie" and "MiniTaurus," which were developed by research institutions (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology Research Institute).

This project was also an attempt to convey this "future where robots blend into the city" in the form of an experience.
I believe it was a time to feel the connection between science and society by "experiencing, thinking about, and talking about" technology.

A project that connects science and society in an easy-to-understand way

We also accept the planning and operation of "science communication" projects that connect science and society.
We can propose experiential projects tailored to your objectives by collaborating with researchers in social sciences and humanities, as well as natural sciences.
Please feel free to contact us if you are considering implementation at your company, local government, or educational institution.

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