Honda Set To Make Humanoid Robots A Reality

"Honda's concept is to create a robot that can help around the house, or assist the elderly or someone confined to a wheelchair or bed, that's why ASIMO is just 1.3 metres high so he can communicate eye-to-eye with someone seated in a chair, while still being able to operate light switches and door knobs, and work at tables and work benches. In future, ASIMO might also perform tasks that are dangerous to humans, such as fighting fires or cleaning up toxic spills." According to Honda Australia Senior Director Lindsay Smalley.

ASIMO can walk at 2.7kph and run at 6kph, he uses eye cameras to recognize surrounding environments, register stationary objects and avoid moving obstacles as he moves around. Force (kinesthetic) sensors in his wrists allow him to push carts and give and receive objects, such as a tray of drinks, while an IC Communication card means he can interact with people relatively autonomously, the company says.

Today's ASIMO is more mobile than his predecessors with extra hip, knee and foot joints.

Smalley added that Honda can apply many of ASIMO's technological achievements to other areas such as automotive safety. "For instance, what we have learned from ASIMO about human movement has helped us design a more effective crash-test dummy and develop some of the world's safest cars for pedestrians; while the radar ASIMO uses to move around is being adapted for use in Honda cars as Night Vision, and for detecting and avoiding pedestrians while driving," he said.

Here's the link to the actual article;

http://www.smarthouse.com.au/Smart_Ideas/Tomorrow_s_Technology/J8P6F8J5

For more info on ASIMO;

http://www.asimo.com.au/