ASIMO is a bipedal humanoid robot Honda has been developing with a goal to develop robots that will coexist with and be useful to people since its first introduction in 2000. In 2011, the latest version was introduced with world's first autonomous behavior control technology.
Naming ASIMO
ASIMO stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility.
It means advanced innovative mobility for a new era.
Latest Version ASIMO (2011 -)
The latest version ASIMO becomes more autonomous, capable of continuous behavior without human operation. With a greatly enhanced situation adaptive capacity both intelligently and physically, ASIMO moves one step closer to practical use in crowded public spaces and office environments.
Advancements of Intelligence Capabilites
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.
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.
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.
ASIMO is 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.
Advancements of Physical Capabilities
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.
ASIMO can 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.
Leg movement during 9km/h running
Airborne while hopping on two legs
Walking over an uneven surface
Hopping on one leg and moving forward
Improved Task Performing Capabilities
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.
Pouring the drink into a cup
ASIMO is capable of making sign language expressions which require the complex movement of fingers.
Japanese sign language: FAMILY
Key Specification
| Size | Height | 130cm |
| Weight | 48kg (decreased 6kg from previous model) |
|
| Running Speed | Max | 9km/hour (previous model: 6km/hour) |
| Operating Degrees of Freedom | Head | 3 DOF |
| Arm | 7 DOF x 2 | |
| Hands | 13 DOF x 2 | |
| Hip | 2 DOF | |
| Legs | 6 DOF x 2 | |
| Total | 57 DOF (increase of 23 DOF from previous model) *DOF=degrees of freedom |
Color Variations
Accent color for the all-new ASIMO available in variations in addition to grey - blue, green and yellow.
