asimo - Honda Malaysia

eakthrough01 INTELLIGENCEMOVING OBJECTSDetects movement of multiple objects, followsthe movements of people and greets thoseapproaching.GESTURE INTERPRETATIONReacts to visual gestures made by people – likepointing to indicate location, and raising the armfor a handshake or to wave hello and goodbye.SPONTANEOUS NAVIGATIONStops and starts movement to avoid humans ormoving objects that appear in its path, whilerecognising and avoiding immobile objects.SOUND PERCEPTIONResponds to its name when called, looks atthe face of the person speaking, recognisessudden and unusual sounds and turns tolook at the source.FACE RECOGNITIONRecognises, addresses by name, communicateswith and guides up to 200 peoplewho have been registered in ASIMO version1.5’s database.02 PHYSICALNATURAL WALKINGASIMO can predict its next movementand shift its centre of gravity accordingly,changing direction or speed smoothly.FLEXIBLE ARMS AND HANDSVersatile joint articulation allows ASIMO to pushcarts, operate switches, carry trays – and evenwave at people or hold hands.03 DESIGNHUMANOID HELPERASIMO’s compact 130cm frame allows easyassimilation in any office or living space, whilethe overall appearance is very people-friendly.KEY SPECIFICATIONS ASIMO v1 ASIMO v2Running SpeedWalking SpeedHeightWidthDepthWeightContinuous Operating TimeNumber of Joints:- Head- Arms- Hands- Torso- LegsTOTALn/a1.6 km/h120 cm45 cm44 cm52 kg30 minutes25x2 - 101x2 - 206x2 - 12266.0 km/h2.7 km/h130 cm45 cm37 cm54 kg40 minutes37x2 - 142x2 - 416x2 - 1234WATCHING ASIMO (which stands for Advanced Step in InnovativeMobility) dancing on stage, conducting an orchestra orplaying with kids, an obvious question springs almost immediatelyto mind. Why did Honda – a company known for cars,motorcycles and power products – create a humanoid robot inthe first place?Honda developed ASIMO in an effort to create a viable mobilitythat allows robots to be more helpful and live in perfectharmony with humans. That was the original concept. For themost part, though, it was also our belief in the power of dreams.And that’s why, way back in 1986, Honda started the projectto develop a two-legged walking robot.Following an evolution that includes 10 groundbreaking generationsspread over 14 long years of meticulous research anddevelopment, the year 2000 saw the birth of the first walking robotto bear the name “ASIMO.” But development didn’t stop there.The robot you see today is the all-new ASIMO, a secondgenerationmodel introduced on 15 December 2004 with a runningspeed of 3km/h and more advanced intelligence technologies forgreater autonomy and improved ASIMO-human interaction.Now ASIMO moves more smoothly than ever before, weavingin and out of common daily situations with a fluidity that is surprisinglyhuman. This fact becomes very evident once ASIMO isplaced in the average bustling office, where technologies likePredictive Movement Control and i-walk Intelligent Real TimeFlexible Walking provide an entirely new level of practical functionality– enabling ASIMO version 2 to turn without stopping andmove more smoothly with a natural walking speed of 2.7km/h.When walking down a crowded corridor ASIMO can stepback to yield the right-of-way or continue along its path, makingnear-instantaneous decisions as information is gathered via anintegrated eye camera and the predicted movements of surroundingpeople are calculated.ASIMO also boasts advanced hearing capabilities, and whenan object falls – even behind the robot – ASIMO is able to hearthe sound and locate the object based on that audio information.And while seeing and hearing are things humans do all thetime, they are certainly significant firsts for a robot. But that’sjust the beginning.Given the right advances in technology, there’s absolutely noreason why ASIMO couldn’t perform nearly any role – whichwould prove especially helpful with important tasks that couldbe dangerous for a human to perform.ASIMO’s brain-like intelligence means it can actually experienceand learn from its surroundings, an essential requirementfor true assimilation into society.So look forward to ASIMO version 2.5, designed to easilyperform common clerical tasks like carrying trays and pushingcarts. When it’s time for a quick boost, the new ASIMO canautomatically replenish its own battery – while standing – simplyby backing into a nearby charging station whenever necessary.When two or more ASIMO version 2.5s work together, informationregarding the current status of each unit is continuallycommunicated via wireless LAN to ensure optimum work efficiencyby sharing tasks in the most effective manner.Every ASIMO version 2.5’s current position relative to thelocation of each task is noted, as battery levels are registeredand the most time efficient way to share the various tasks isdetermined. Then each one goes to work on its own portion ofthe job at hand. Now that’s teamwork!with dreams I 15