Ever wish you had your own private robot? With life being so busy, all of us multi-tasking in so many different directions, I bet right about now, that would sound great. Especially if you are Jetson’s fan like me…
Enter ASIMO, the world’s most advanced humanoid robot. I learned about ASIMO at the Consumer Electronics Show. Here’s a video of that interview with one of Honda’s top engineers, Stephen Keeney:
And you can get a glimpse of your future robot ASIMO. She stars in her very own high-tech stage show at the Disneyland® Resort’s in Anaheim, California in the Honda ASIMO Theater in Innoventions. In a 15-minute engaging and educational show you’ll see how humans will someday benefit from a robot assistant like ASIMO. As you enter the Honda ASIMO Theater you’ll be introduced to Honda’s robotics program and learn how the power of dreams and the determination of engineers led to the development of a humanoid robot capable of the remarkable feat of walking like a real person. Inside the theater, you are invited into the home of the McGuires as they meet the newest member of their family, ASIMO, and discover the endless possibilities of having a humanoid robot in their home.
You’ll be inspired to dream of the infinite potential for robots to help people in the future. I loved Steve’s dedication and message to kids and the important of studying science. I know my nephew Nick has taken to robots and had entered into a robotics contest at his school. “You never know Nick! You might just find yourself working alongside Honda with your experience in robotics!” ASIMO will certainly inspire girls and boys to pay attention to math, science and all of school. Doing so will provide them with so many options. And as Steve said, “Honda doesn’t need just science and engineering majors to help ASIMO type robots assimilate into our culture successfully… we also need the help of the social sciences…psychologists! So no matter your interests, there may be a place for you in the world of robots.”
Was this an easy innovation? Not really. ASIMO took more than two decades of persistent study, research, and trial and error before Honda engineers achieved their dream of creating an advanced humanoid robot. Today, ASIMO can run, walk on uneven slopes and surfaces, turn smoothly, climb stairs, and reach for and grasp objects. ASIMO can also comprehend and respond to simple voice commands. Using its camera eyes, ASIMO can map its environment and register stationary objects. ASIMO can also avoid moving obstacles as it moves through its environment. She has the ability to recognize the face of a select group of individuals.
The robot’s size was chosen to allow it to operate freely in the human living space and to make it people-friendly. This size allows the robot to operate light switches and door knobs, and work at tables and work benches. Its eyes are located at the level of an adult’s eyes when the adult is sitting in a chair. A height of 120cm makes it easy to communicate with. Honda added intelligence technology to ASIMO which is capable of interpreting the postures and gestures of humans and moving independently in response. The key features of the new intelligence technology:
1. Recognition of moving objects
2. Posture/gesture recognition
3. Environment recognition
4. Sound recognition
5. Face recognition.
ASIMO’s ability to interact with humans has advanced significantly—it can greet approaching people, follow them, move in the direction they indicate, and even recognize their faces and address them by name. Further, utilizing networks such as the Internet, ASIMO can provide information while executing tasks such as reception duties. ASIMO is the world’s first humanoid robot to exhibit such a broad range of intelligent capabilities.
Of course I think it would be great to have someone to do the household chores, but even more impressive is the fact that Honda is setting its sights on bigger and more important endeavors with ASIMO. Honda hopes ASIMO may serve as another set of eyes, ears, hands and legs for all kinds of people in need. Someday ASIMO might help with important tasks like assisting the elderly or a person confined to a bed or a wheelchair. ASIMO might also perform certain tasks that are dangerous to humans, such as fighting fires or cleaning up toxic spills. This is the new frontier, and I can hardly wait ‘til I am 150 years old to see how far Honda and ASIMO go!
