World-first onboard quantum-inspired tech for real-time robot control

Japanese companies Toshiba and MIRISE Technologies have achieved a world-first by embedding Toshiba’s Simulated Bifurcation Machine (SBM), a quantum-inspired optimization computer, directly into a mobile robot for real-time autonomous control. The SBM, implemented on an FPGA within MIRISE’s autonomous platform, enables complex multi-object tracking and dynamic path planning under strict size, power, and cost constraints. This integration allows the robot to predict and avoid moving obstacles efficiently, improving navigation safety and reducing unnecessary avoidance maneuvers. The system leverages quantum-inspired algorithms to solve combinatorial optimization problems, enabling continuous tracking of multiple objects even in crowded or occluded environments. Evaluations showed a 4% improvement over standard benchmarks and a 23% improvement in scenarios involving object obscuration. Operating at 23 frames per second, the embedded SBM outperforms typical automated driving requirements and brings advanced optimization capabilities, previously limited to high-performance servers, into compact, low-power devices. Toshiba and MIRISE plan to extend this technology