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ASIMO

2000 - ?
http://world.honda.com/ASIMO/

HDTV movies at:
http://world.honda.com/HDTV/ASIMO/

P L Y O J U M P
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More Robots That Jump
Asimo	Toyota	HRP-2	New Era	QRIO	SILF
HOAP	ZMP	KHR	Gallopers	Robo-Garage	Exoskeletons
Robot Cars	Vstone	JVC	RoboSapien	Other	Can't Jump
Pseries	Competitions	Events

May be the most advanced humanoid robot in the world. About 40 of the old (2000) model currently touring the world in promotional capacity. The new model for 2005 has advanced sensing, a hip joint, and can run!

2005 Asimo - coffee-serving, doubles running speed

The new 2005 version of Asimo is beginning to cross the line between entertainment and function. Here, the robot carries coffee to people and correctly handles the complex (for a robot) task of handing it to the human without spilling. Click picture to see the video of Asimo placing the tray correctly on a table, looking for a person to deliver coffee to, etc. While this may seem simple to people, it puts Asimo in a class of its own in human interaction. It can also push a cart with a load up to 10 kilograms.

In this image the Asimo is pushing a cart. This ability has existed in Honda's line of humanoid robots (the P2 back in the 1990s pushed carts and turned wrenches on machines) but is a first for Asimo. The new Asimo can also run at about 4 miles per hour (6kph) - very credible, and another record for such a large bipedal robot. Equally impressive in the Honda video is the fast stops and starts the robots makes, and its ability to run in circles and zigzag. In 2006 and beyond, Honda will begin leasing Asimos as showcase receptionists at a rate around $200,000 US per year.

To help Asimo function in office environments, Honda has developed an telecommunications card. The individual to the left wears the card, and is thereby uniquely recognized by Asimo. Asimo also uses a mix of voice and face recognition to confirm identity.

The new Asimo can also detect forces in its arms. This allows it to apply pressure to push a cart while balancing, as well as detecting when a human has grabbed an object it is holding (Asimo lets go). It also allows Asimo to hold hands and let a human guide its motion.

Running "Research Model" Asimo Dec 2004

The new Asimo introduced by Honda in December 2004 is larger (about 10 cm, heavier by a few kilograms), sleeker, has a battery pack lasting twice as long (1 hour), a smaller backpack, and most importantly, is able to run at 3km/hr. It accomplishes this by means of a new hip joint, which allows it to rock its torso while moving. More powerful motors support running, along with a 2x faster walk. In addition, Asimo can now oppose its thumb independently from its fingers, sense force when its hand is held by a human (dancing lead anyone?), walk to a destination without having to repeatedly reconstruct an internal map, Combined with its ability to sense people, recognize faces and nonhuman obstacles, recognize hand gestures, this system is rapidly approaching commercial viability. Check Honda's new HDTV website for Flash video of the new Asimo!

Asimo at Robocup 2004

A couple of Asimo mimic human players for Robocup. The robots were not acting autonomously, but this shows that their bodies are potentially flexible enough for a low-key game of soccer.

Asimo X2 at Robodex 2003


Asimo walking down stairs. Click image for movie from Robodex 2003!	New Asimo X2 debuted at Robodex 2003 capable of walking twice as fast as original - about 3 mph, or a brisk walk of a human (click image for movie)	Another shot of the Asimo X2 walking quickly to its place in the robot lineup at Robodex 2003.

Asimo X2 - late 2002

The Asimo X2 shows advanced recognition of faces, coupled with voice and hand gestures. This is most likely the result of collaborative research with scientists at CMU's Robotics Institute.

recognize an indicated location and move to that location (posture recognition);
shake a person's hand when a handshake is offered (posture recognition);
respond to a wave by waving back (gesture recognition).
stop and start to avoid a human being or other moving object which suddenly appears in its path;
recognize immobile objects in its path and move around them.
recognize when its name is called, and turn to face the source of the sound;
look at the face of the person speaking, and respond;
recognize sudden, unusual sounds, such as that of a falling object or a collision, and face in that direction.

follow the movements of people with its camera;
follow a person;
greet a person when he or she approaches.
recognize the faces of people which have been pre-registered, addressing them by name, communicating messages to them, and guiding them;
recognize approximately ten different people.
execute functions appropriately based on the user's customer data;
greet visitors, informing personnel of the visitor's arrival by transmitting messages and pictures of the visitor's face;
guide visitors to a predetermined location, etc.
Accessing information via the Internet, ASIMO can become a provider of news and weather updates, for example, ready to answer people's questions, etc.

Click on the image to the left for a Dec 2003 movie of the Asimo's American tour as it hits Raleigh, NC - from the Marshall Brain "Robot Nation" blog.

Click on the images below to view QuickTime movies.


Terminator-style, Asimo tracks one person as they cross in front of another.	Asimo follows a person, then stops when when it hears a command and sees a hand gesture.	Asimov watches a person point to where it is supposed to go, confirms by speaking, and walks over.


Listening to two speakers, Asimov swivels its head to face the person who just spoke.	Encountering two moving people, Asimov stops walking to let them pass, then resumes walking.	Seeing two stationary people, Asimov walks around them to its destination.


When the person waves, Asimov waves back.	With two people speaking, Asimov only listens to the one it recognizes.	Asimo adapts to a inclined walking ramp, going up and down it.

ASIMO responds to voice commands and walking down stairs at the New York Stock Exchange (no movies)

Click on images below for additional QuickTime movies...

Asimo robot walks away from its audience

Video of Asimo appearing at Robodex 2000.

Same sequence, the Asimo dances around.

Same sequence, the Asimo does a waltz step.

The Asimo leaves the stage, walks over to a wall, turns around and faces the audience.

The controller can be seen with their wrist-mounted pad in the background. Commands are general and the Asimo is an autonomous robot -- this is not a "remote-controlled" toy!

Video of TV commercial from Japan showing a kid dancing with the Asimo. The last frames show that the Asimo can turn its head quickly.

Additional photos (no movies for these)

Asimo robot descends stairs at NYSE stock exchange

(left to right) The older Honda P3, Honda's CEO, and the Asimo...

Honda CEO and his successors

"There is only one condition in which we can imagine managers not needing subordinates, and masters not needing slaves. This would be if every machine could work by itself, at the word of command or by intelligent anticipation."
- Aristotle, from his justification of slavery in Politics