ASIMO

ASIMO is a robot that was built by Honda on 2000. The current models could walk, run, and go up and down stairs. Engineers planned to add laser capabilities. Its height was 130 centimeters (4 feet 3 inches) and weight 54 kilograms (119 pounds). ASIMO was just like an astronaut wearing a backpack and could walk or run on two feet.

Asimo standing

Development

ASIMO was created at Honda's Research & Development Wako Fundamental Technical Research Center in Japan. Honda will not confirm how much it costs.

Name

ASIMO is an acronym. ASIMO stands for "Advanced Step in Innovative MObility". It should be pronounced "ah she moh" to match the original Japanese pronunciation.

As of February 2009, there are over 100 ASIMO units in existence.

What We Learned From ASIMO

Through the development of ASIMO, Honda has gained the prospect of realizing the physical capabilities needed for robots to operate in a living environment with people, with the capability to replicate some human functions through engineering.^[1]

• "Move around while sharing the same space with people," which includes moving among people and not falling over when bumped into by a person.
• "Perform tasks by using hands."
• "Interact with people," including understanding spoken words and controlling movement/behavior according to the estimated intention of nearby people.

Moreover, by showing what it can do in a living environment with people, we believe ASIMO enabled many people to envision a future where robots co-exist with people and spread the wings of people's imagination, said Honda.

Public appearances

ASIMO has made lots of public appearances.