ASIMO
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ASIMO is a humanoid robot created by Honda. Standing at 130 centimeters and weighing 54 kilograms, the robot resembles a small astronaut wearing a backpack, and can walk on two feet in a manner resembling human locomotion at up to 6 km/h. ASIMO was created at Honda's Research & Development Wako Fundamental Technical Research Center in Japan. It is the current model in a line of eleven which began in 1986 with E0.
Officially, the name is an acronym for "Advanced Step in Innovative MObility". Contrary to popular belief, Honda's official statements indicate that the robot's name is not an homage to science fiction writer and inventor of the Three Laws of Robotics, Isaac Asimov. In Japanese, the name is pronounced ashimo and, not coincidentally, means "legs also" (from Japanese "脚も").
As of 2002, there were 20 ASIMO units in existence. Each one costs $1 million to manufacture, and some units are available to be hired out for $150,000 per month.
Development history
Honda developed seven basic prototypes examining the principles of two-legged locomotion - the E-series - and then set to work developing three prototypes sporting more human-like features (such as arms), known as the P-series. There have also been several development stages in ASIMO itself.
Experimental Models
- E0 unveiled in 1986 | [Website]
- E1 unveiled in 1987 | [Website]
- E2 unveiled in 1987 | [Website]
- E3 unveiled in 1987 | [Website]
- E4 unveiled in 1991 | [Website]
- E5 unveiled in 1991 | [Website]
- E6 unveiled in 1991 | [Website]
Humanoid Prototypes Models
ASIMO [
Features and technology
Specifications
Original ASIMO in February '05
| "original ASIMO" (2000) | "next generation ASIMO" (2004) | "new ASIMO" (2005) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | [[Talk:ASIMO#Asimo.27s_weight>?]] | 54 kg | 54 kg |
| Height | 120 cm | 130 cm | 130 cm |
| Width | 45 cm | 45 cm | 45 cm |
| Depth | 44 cm | 44 cm | 37 cm |
| Walking speed | 1.6 km/h | 2.5 km/h | 2.7 km/h 1.6 km/h (carrying 1 kg) |
| Running speed | - | 3 km/h | 6 km/h (straight) 5 km/h (circling) |
| Airborne time | - | 0.05 seconds | 0.08 seconds |
| Battery | Nickel metal hydride / 38.4 V / 10 Ah / 7.7 kg / 4 hours to fully charge | ||
| Continuous operating time | 30 minutes | 1 hour | 40 mins (walking) |
| Degrees of Freedom | 26 | 34 | 34 |
Recognition technology
With 2000's ASIMO model Honda added many features, labelled "Intelligence Technology", that enable ASIMO to interact better with humans. These features fall under 5 categories:1. Recognition of moving objects
- Using the visual information captured by the camera mounted in its head, ASIMO can detect the movements of multiple objects, assessing distance and direction. Common applications this feature would serve include the ability to follow the movements of people with its camera, to follow a person, or greet a person when he or she approaches.
- ASIMO can also interpret the positioning and movement of a hand, recognizing postures and gestures. Because of this ASIMO can react and be directed not only to voice commands, but also to the natural movements of human beings. This enables it to, for example, recognize when a handshake is offered or when a person waves and respond accordingly. It can also recognize movement directions such as pointing.
- ASIMO can recognize the objects and terrain of its environment and act in a way that is safe for both itself and nearby humans. For example, recognizing potential hazards such as stairs, and by stopping and starting to avoid hitting humans or other moving objects.
- ASIMO's ability to identify the source of sounds has been improved, and it can distinguish between voices and other sounds. It can respond to its name, face people when being spoken to, and recognize sudden, unusual sounds such as that of a falling object or a collision, and face in that direction.
- ASIMO has the ability to recognize faces, even when ASIMO or the human being is moving. It can individually recognize approximately 10 different faces. Once they are registered it can address them by name.
Network Integration
Utilizing networks such as the Internet, ASIMO can provide information and function better for various commercial applications, such as reception. His abilities fall under 2 categories:1. Integration with user's network system
- By connecting with a user's network ASIMO can offer many useful functions such as greeting visitors and informing personnel of the visitor's arrival by transmitting messages and pictures of the visitor's face and guide visitors to a predetermined location.
- By accessing information via the Internet, ASIMO can, for example, become a provider of news and weather updates.
Public appearances
- February 2002 - ASIMO opened the trade session at the New York Stock Exchange.
- August 2003 - ASIMO participated in the visit of Japanese prime-minister Junichiro Koizumi to Czech Republic and his meeting with Vladimír Špidla there.
- November 2004 - during the visit of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark to Japan she met with ASIMO. They exchanged some jokes in Danish language and the queen received a gift of flowers from ASIMO.
- November 2004 - ASIMO met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at Autoshow automobile exhibition.
- July 2003 and September 2004 - ASIMO visited a Jakarta motor show to demonstrate his abilities and perform for the audience. Around 5,000 people visited ASIMO at the Honda Booth. ASIMO put on three shows per day, demonstrating his new movement skills including kicking a ball, riding a bike, walking, and dancing.
- May 2004 - ASIMO welcomed King Juan Carlos I of Spain to the Honda Booth at the Madrid Motor Show.
- September 2004 - ASIMO welcomed 8 Thai Olympic medalists to the Honda Welcome Plaza in Thailand. He awarded the gold, silver, and bronze medalists with Honda CRVs, Phantoms, and Waves respectively.
- 2004 - ASIMO was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame at Carnegie Mellon University.
- Since June 2005 - ASIMO is being shown several times a day at Disneyland, California in the "Innoventions" building in Tomorrowland. Shows are throughout the day, and are about 25 minutes long. During the enthusiastic presentation, ASIMO demonstrates virtually all of his abilities. The robot is commanded by a human actor, and enhanced by an (apparently) pre-recorded female voice. Video screens also show what appears to be a mix of live and pre-recorded content. These aids, which appear to be pre-recorded and not actually a live demonstration of ASIMO's abilities, are probably being used to make sometimes tricky things like live video streaming more reliable for the show. ASIMO does physically move about quite a lot, however, and this movement is the main focus of the show.
- December 2005 - ASIMO held a show at Helsinki Motor Show, Finland
- February 2006 - ASIMO appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show.
- May-June 2006 - ASIMO appeared at the Kuala Lumpur International Motorshow.
See also
ToysReferences
External links
- [Official website (Worldwide)] - Honda
- [Official website (Japan)] - Honda
- [Official website (America)] - Honda
- [Official website (Canada)] - Honda (good education resource)
- [Video of ASIMO running] - Honda
- [Video of ASIMO naked] - Honda
- [Articles on ASIMO's public appearances] - Honda
- [A collection of videos of ASIMO's public shows] - Google Video
- ["Humanoid robot learns how to run"] - BBC News Online
- ["Humanoid robot gets job as receptionist"] - New Scientist
- [Unofficial fan site (Poland)] - dedicated to ASIMO and other intelligent machines
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