Hondanews Online Newsroom

ASIMO: Honda Unveils All-new ASIMO with Significant Advancements

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 17:35:00 -0800

Honda has developed a highly functional compact multi-fingered hand, which has a tactile sensor and a force sensor imbedded on the palm and in each finger, respectively, and which acts to control each finger independently. Combined with the object recognition technology based on visual and tactile senses, this multi-fingered hand enables the all-new ASIMO to perform tasks with dexterity, such as picking up a glass bottle and twisting off the cap, or holding a soft paper cup to pour a liquid without squishing it.

ASIMO: Honda Unveils All-new ASIMO with Significant Advancements

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:49:00 -0800

The combination of strengthened legs, an expanded range of leg movement and a newly developed control technology that enables ASIMO to change landing positions in the middle of a motion has enabled ASIMO to walk, run, run backward, hop on one leg or on two legs continuously.

ASIMO: Honda Unveils All-new ASIMO with Significant Advancements

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:48:00 -0800

With a further advance in autonomy, the all-new ASIMO can now continue moving without being controlled by an operator and can run as fast as 9 kmh. Moreover, with significantly improved intelligence and the physical ability to adapt to situations, ASIMO took another step closer to practical use in an office or a public space where many people come and go.

ASIMO: Honda Unveils All-new ASIMO with Significant Advancements

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:17:00 -0800

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today unveiled an all-new ASIMO humanoid robot newly equipped with the world's first¹ autonomous behavior control technology. With a further advance in autonomy, the all-new ASIMO can now continue moving without being controlled by an operator. Moreover, with significantly improved intelligence and the physical ability to adapt to situations, ASIMO took another step closer to practical use in an office or a public space where many people come and go.

¹Honda internal research as of Nov. 8, 2011

Since the establishment of the company, Honda has continued to take on new challenges in the effort to create new products and advance technologies with the spirit of utilizing technology to help people. In the area of humanoid robot research, Honda has been developing and advancing the ASIMO humanoid robot to realize a dream to be useful for people and to help enrich people's daily lives.

Honda has a newly established collective name, Honda Robotics, to represent all of its robotics technologies and product applications created through its research and development of humanoid robots. While continuing the research and development of humanoid robots, Honda will also focus on applying robotics technologies to mass-produced products and putting product applications into practical use.

Based on this concept of Honda Robotics, Honda also introduced an experimental model of a task-performing robot arm that was developed while applying multi-joint simultaneous orbit control and posture control technologies amassed through the research and development of ASIMO. This robot arm can be remotely controlled to perform tasks in unstable places which are difficult for people to access.

All-new ASIMO

The all-new ASIMO is now advanced from an "automatic machine" to an "autonomous machine" with the decision-making capability to determine its behavior in concert with its surroundings such as movements of people. At the beginning of the development process, the following three factors were identified as necessary for a robot to perform as an autonomous machine, and the technologies required to realize these capabilities were developed; 1) high-level postural balancing capability which enables the robot to maintain its posture by putting out its leg in an instant, 2) external recognition capability which enables the robot to integrate information, such as movements of people around it, from multiple sensors and estimate the changes that are taking place, and 3) the capability to generate autonomous behavior which enables the robot to make predictions from gathered information and autonomously determine the next behavior without being controlled by an operator. With these capabilities, the all-new ASIMO takes another step closer to practical use in an environment where it coexists with people.

1. Advancement of intelligence capability
Honda has developed a new system that is a fundamental technology for advanced intelligence, which comprehensively evaluates inputs from multiple sensors that are equivalent to the visual, auditory, and tactile senses of a human being, then estimates the situation of the surrounding environment and determines the corresponding behavior of the robot. With this technology, ASIMO became capable of responding to the movement of people and the surrounding situations. For instance, ASIMO will stop its current action and change its behavior to accommodate the intention of the other party. Moreover, coordination between visual and auditory sensors enables ASIMO to simultaneously recognize a face and voice, enabling ASIMO to recognize the voices of multiple people who are speaking simultaneously, which is difficult even for a human being to accomplish.

Further, ASIMO is now capable of predicting the direction a person will walk within the next few seconds based on information from pre-set space sensors and quickly determining to take an alternate path to avoid a collision with the person if the estimated locations of the person and the ASIMO intersect.

2. Advancement of physical capability
The combination of strengthened legs, an expanded range of leg movement and a newly developed control technology that enables ASIMO to change landing positions in the middle of a motion has enabled ASIMO to walk, run, run backward, hop on one leg or on two legs continuously. As a result of acquiring the ability to make such agile motions, ASIMO has become capable of more flexibly adapting to changing external situations so that it can, as an example, walk over an uneven surface while maintaining a stable posture.

3. Improved task-performing capability

Key specifications of the all-new ASIMO
1. Height	130 cm
2. Weight	48kg (decreased 6kg from previous model)
3. Operating degrees of freedom	Total: 57 degrees of freedom (increase of 23 degrees of freedom from previous model)
4. Running Speed	9km/hour (previous model: 6km/hour)

Establishing a collective name, Honda Robotics, to represent Honda's robotics technologies and product applications
Studying human beings to understand people and learn from people is the root of Honda's manufacturing. While positioning the humanoid robot research as one of the important pillars in the area of studying human beings, Honda has been working to realize various functions of a human being that is the ultimate mobility with intelligence.

Honda newly established a collective term, Honda Robotics, and the logo to represent Honda's robotics technologies and application products created through its research and development of humanoid robot represented by ASIMO.

In addition to the all-new ASIMO and the task-performing robot arm introduced today, the previously introduced the walking assist device with stride management system which supports walking for people with weakened leg muscles, the bodyweight support assist system which reduces the load on legs by supporting part of the bodyweight, and the U3-X, a compact one-wheel-drive mobility device that provides free movement in all directions, are examples of product applications resulting from the application of bipedal technology and balance control technology amassed through the research and development of ASIMO.

Striving to offer next-generation mobility products which expand the joy and fun of mobility, Honda will continue the robotics research that leads to ASIMO, walking assist devices, U3-X and other technologies. In addition, Honda will also work proactively toward putting such product applications into practical use.

Task-performing Robot Arm
Technologies developed for ASIMO were applied to an experimental model of a task-performing robot arm, which moves on a self-propelled base and was designed under the assumption of being utilized at disaster sites or other places too dangerous for people to work. Toward this end, the robot arm was made possible to be remotely controlled to approach the object and stably perform necessary tasks even in a narrow space with unstable footing and many obstacles.

The stability control technology used for ASIMO's walking and running was applied to stabilize the posture of the end of the arm even on an unstable surface so that the robot arm can exert the necessary power output to perform the task. Moreover, the application of other ASIMO technologies such as the compact layout structural designing technique and multi-joint simultaneous orbit control technology that simultaneously controls as many as 57 motors imbedded in the joints of the arms and legs has enabled the robot arm to avoid obstacles and approach an object even in a narrow space with obstacles such as a complicated layout of pipelines.

In the development process, the robot arm is designed to perform the task of opening and closing valves on pipelines; however, it will become capable of performing a variety of tasks by changing the end piece of the arm.

Key specifications of the task-performing robot arm
1. Length	1583 mm (arm length)
2. Width	338mm (base)
3. Depth	391mm (base)
4. Weight	29.5kg
5. Operating degrees of freedom	10 degrees of freedom (including the end piece of the arm)

Honda FIRST Championship 2011

ASIMO: Honda's ASIMO Demonstrated at FIRST® Championship for First Time

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 09:20:00 -0700

Honda's ASIMO, the world's most advanced humanoid robot, made its debut at the FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Championship today in St. Louis, Mo. ASIMO, which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, is a culmination of more than two decades of research and development by Honda engineers.

Designed to someday assist people in their homes, ASIMO is being used today to encourage and inspire young students, like those involved in the FIRST robotics programs, to consider studies in math and science. The demonstrations highlight ASIMO's unique capabilities including walking forward and backward, running nearly 4 mph, climbing stairs and more.

"Honda and FIRST share many of the same values, including inspiring students to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering," said Erik Wedin, ASIMO North American project leader. "We think a student robotics competition is the perfect setting to share and showcase ASIMO's capabilities."

Honda is one of the sponsors of the FIRST Championship, where over 11,000 students from 29 countries will participate in three simultaneous robotics competitions. As part of the activities, Honda is conducting ASIMO demonstrations today and Fri., April 29 on the hour from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m., and on Sat., April 30 from 9 a.m. through noon. The demonstrations, which are free and open to the public, are taking place in the Second Level Atrium of the America's Center Convention Complex in downtown St. Louis.

ASIMO visited 17 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces on a North American tour from 2003 through 2005, but this is the first time the humanoid robot has been demonstrated in Missouri.

About ASIMO
Honda engineers began developing a humanoid robot in 1986 for the purpose of someday helping people in need. After years of research and development, they created an advanced humanoid robot able to function in real-world environments. ASIMO made its U.S. debut Feb. 14, 2002, when it rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, and the latest version of ASIMO, which includes the ability to run, debuted in North America at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 2007, in Las Vegas. ASIMO is currently installed in Disneyland's Innoventions attraction where the Say 'Hello' to Honda's ASIMO live demonstration takes place several times daily in the Honda ASIMO Theater. The program gives visitors a glimpse into the future when humanoid robots, such as ASIMO, will assist humans in their homes. Learn more about ASIMO at http://asimo.honda.com.

About Honda
As a company devoted to the advancement of human mobility, Honda's innovative research and development efforts during the past decade have yielded such diverse outcomes as humanoid robotics, walking assist devices, HondaJet, fuel cell electric vehicle technology, thin film solar cells, increased rice crop yields and functional nano-materials – in addition to the design and development of automobiles, motorcycles and power equipment products. Based on its belief in the value of technology to address the needs of society, it is Honda's mission to develop products that anticipate and satisfy the evolving needs of its customers while meeting society's demand for cleaner, safer, more efficient and sustainable means of transportation and human mobility.

ASIMO: ASIMO meets Emmy Award-winning actress Cherry Jones at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 16:37:00 -0800

ASIMO meets Emmy Award-winning actress Cherry Jones at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival

ASIMO: The Honda Power of Dreams Experience at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival