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10/01/2004 - Honda’s humanoid robot to make UK debut at the science museum

ASIMO - an overview of Honda’s latest generation of advanced humanoid robots

Honda’s ASMIO humanoid robot which can move like, interact with and be of assistance to humans is to make its first UK appearance at London’s Science Museum from February 16-22. ASIMO’s appearance in London, where he will make four performances a day for the duration of the event, marks the start of a programme of public demonstrations across Europe over the next year to show how Honda is tackling one of the great technological challenges of the age. The tour will include Honda’s major facilities in Europe as well as scientific and robotics events across the continent.

ASIMO - one of the world’s most advanced bipedal robots

ASIMO (standing for Advanced Step in Innovative MObility) is regarded by many as one of the most advanced bipedal robots in the world.

In terms of ASIMO’s movement, Honda has studied and used as its model the complex co-ordinated movements of the human body. ASIMO’s proportions and joint positions resemble those of a human being and, in many respects, it possesses a range of movement comparable to that of humans. Utilising new advanced motion technology developed by Honda, ASIMO not only walks forwards and backwards but also turns sideways, climbs up and down stairs, and turns corners. As such, ASIMO is the closest robot yet to replicating the natural walking motion of humans.

Central to this is the application of Honda’s intelligent walking technology, which allows ASIMO to walk flexibly in real time. It does this by enabling the robot to make predictions and adjust its motion accordingly. For example just as a human being when going round a corner will lean into it to adjust their centre of gravity toward the inside, so ASIMO also predicts its next steps and adjusts its centre of gravity accordingly. This ability to predict its next movement in real time also allows ASIMO to walk continuously. It doesn’t have to stop first, turn and then walk round a corner, instead it accomplishes this in one uninterrupted fluid motion.

ASIMO - towards an intelligent robot

The natural walking motion of ASIMO will form the centrepiece of the live demonstrations being given at the Science Museum. However, in addition to the major mechanical engineering advances, Honda’s ongoing research programme has focused on the initial development of intelligent behaviour in ASIMO.

Honda defines intelligence as "the ability to develop problem-solving strategies to achieve a specific objective by recognising and analysing, associating and combining, planning and deciding". Honda is the first to recognise that ASIMO is a long way from having these abilities but believes progress has been made.

In addition to the cognitive capabilities associated with its intelligent walking technology, versions of ASIMO currently being developed in Japan have a number of intelligence technology features. These include the ability to recognise people, objects and gestures, calculate distances and the direction of movement of several objects.

This visual information is registered, interpreted and translated into actions. This gives ASIMO a range of abilities from avoiding objects in its path to recognising that someone wants to shake its hand and reacting by offering a handshake.

To a certain extent ASIMO can also hear and speak. It can identify voices, distinguish between sounds and the spoken word and respond to certain instructions and exchange simple sentences and greetings with a person. Currently ASIMO can understand about 50 different calls and greetings as well as 30 different commands and can react to them accordingly.

ASIMO - why create a humanoid robot?

Honda’s long-term commitment to the development of humanoid robots stretches back two decades and was originated by the desire of its associates (employees) to take on a unique engineering and technological challenge in the field of mobility. The company developed its first robot to walk on two legs in 1986. The ground-breaking programme that followed has been inspired by Honda’s commitment to innovation and the development of advanced products that will deliver real benefits to people now and in the future.

Honda’s vision is to create a humanoid robot capable of interacting with and supporting humans to make our lives easier and more pleasant. Although there is a long way to go before specific roles can be assigned to humanoid robots, it might be possible that they could provide assistance and give greater independence to the disabled and elderly. This of course is still many years into the future but nevertheless ASIMO is already being hired to corporations and organisations in Japan for promotional roles such as welcoming visitors.

Although the market potential and application of ASIMO is still to be defined (and may not be clear for many years) it has already resulted in a number of benefits to Honda. First it has provided a unique and compelling showcase for Honda’s world class engineering and technological capabilities; which in turn has enabled the company to achieve its objective of recruiting and retaining the very best engineers and R&D specialists. In addition, the positive reception given to ASIMO across the world, especially from young people, the company believes will serve to inspire the next generation of engineers.

ASIMO - the future

Honda’s ASIMO R&D programme is ongoing. The company will continue to develop the functionality and intelligence of ASIMO and work in partnership with others working in the field to bring closer the vision of a humanoid robot that can be beneficial to mankind.