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The world's favourite robot, ASIMO, just turned 10

The world's favourite robot, ASIMO, just turned 10

By Associated Press | Updated: 5 June 2012 02:22 IST

Highlights

He can dance, run and even conduct an orchestra. The multi-talented robot ASIMO is now 10 years old and during his first decade, he has constantly been upgraded to show off new skills and display the technical capability of his makers Honda.

He can dance, run and even conduct an orchestra.

The multi-talented robot ASIMO is now 10 years old and during his first decade, he has constantly been upgraded to show off new skills and display the technical capability of his makers Honda.

Honda Motor Co. has made robotics a centre piece of its image, sending ASIMO to events and starring the walking, talking robot in TV ads.

ASIMO was created by Japanese manufactures, Honda. The name comes from the acronym Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility and is also a play on the Japanese word for "legs".

The robot, which looks like a 4-foot-tall child in a space suit, can walk hand-in-hand with a human, balance on one foot, push a tray and run four miles (6 kilometres) per hour.

"We decided to make a humanoid robot because we are living in an environment that we designed for us and we think that having a machine which is looking like us will give much better results as well, because this robot will be able to open a door, or to open a drawer exactly like we do," said William de Braekeleer, corporate communications manager at Honda Motor Europe Ltd.

Honda has been working on robots since 1986 and before ASIMO's debut the company had already unveiled humanoid robots in various guises: The EO robot in 1986, P1 robot in 1993, of P2 robot in 1996 and P3 robot 1997.

On October 31 2000, ASIMO was created and presented to the media on November 20 the same year. In the following years various updates of the robot were routinely presented to a fascinated world.

In 2002 it could also recognise faces with its camera eyes. By 2004 the cute childlike android was running and the following year he made his debut as a waiter.

But dancing is ASIMO's favourite hobby.

In 2009 he showed off his skills as a mind reader.

The Honda Research Institute presented a promotional video showing technology that reads patterns of electric currents on a person's scalp as well as changes in cerebral blood flow when a person thinks about four simple movements - moving the right or left hand, running and eating.

Honda says that ASIMO succeeded in analysing such thought patterns, relayed to the robot as wireless commands.

In the video a person wearing a special helmet sat still but thought about moving his right hand - a thought that was picked up by cords attached to his head inside the helmet.

ASIMO, programmed to respond to brain signals, was shown to have lifted its right arm after several seconds.

Honda eventually intends its robots to be companions for the elderly and others in need, such as schoolchildren navigating crosswalks.

The Japanese government has been pushing companies and researchers to make robotics a pillar of the nation's business.

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The world's favourite robot, ASIMO, just turned 10

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