R&D Monthly Focus

Honda P2 Humanoid Robot Recognized as an IEEE Milestone

The dedication ceremony was held at the Honda Wako Building in Wako City, Saitama Prefecture on April 28. Former IEEE President Mr. Toshio Fukuda (now Professor Emeritus at Nagoya University) presented the IEEE Milestone plaque.

Following the presentation of the plaque, President Mibe gave plates of appreciation to the universities and companies that significantly contributed to the realization of the P2.

The P2 is a groundbreaking robot. It realized human-sized independent bipedal walking for the first time in the world in 1996. This technology led to the development of the subsequent ASIMO. It has become the foundation of present-day robotics technology.

In a commemorative speech after the ceremony, Mr. Toru Takenaka, a former Honda employee and a developer of the P2, and Executive Chief Engineer (ECE) Takahide Yoshiike, who oversees the Frontier Robotics Research Domain at Honda R&D Center of Excellence, took the stage.

Mr. Takenaka spoke with humor about the challenges he faced at the time. Meanwhile, ECE Takahide Yoshiike discussed the robotics research currently being tackled by Honda.