Honda Asimo takes a nasty fall

You know how you're watching those hidden camera or funny home video shows and someone gets hurt real bad, and you're laughing at them and pitying them simultaneously? That's how we felt when we saw Asimo fall down a set of stairs during a demo. It's ugly, man. Aismo turns its head and falls back, seized up like a clenched fist as sparks fly -- and yet it keeps on chattering away to the audience as robo-medics rush to the scene. One day we're going to pay for this. Video after the break.

[Via Pink Tentacle]

[Dave Hursh @ Dec 14th 2006 2:47PM]

Hey's where's the robotic blood?

[Darren @ Dec 16th 2006 7:03PM]

Is that what the red button does? lol

[Darren @ Dec 16th 2006 7:03PM]

Ive gotta say, i have been killing my self laughing with all these comments :)

you all have made my night

[rusabus @ Dec 20th 2006 7:00PM]

This is actually really sad to me. I really hate to see things like this fail because I want to live in a world where robots and machines can really interact with humans. For years we've had visions of things like "the car of the future" which would drive itself from point A to point B, or robots that would do all the hardest work for us. (If I'm not mistaken, robot is taken from the Czech word rabota, which means servant.) These things could change our world forever. ASIMO is one of the first steps toward a robot that wouldn't scare children and that could interact with humans.

Regarding the Honda engineers putting up the privacy shield, this was probably very humiliating to Honda's engineers. Loosing face is one of the worst things for a Japanese person. I really doubt that a person raised in the Japanese culture would want to joke about this type of failure.

Finally, it looks to me like ASIMO lost all of his ability to move, not just in his right leg. Perhaps a failure in the computer that controls his motion, or a problem with the power circuits for the actual motors . . . who knows.

[Larry @ Dec 23rd 2006 8:38PM]

Trust me - we've been laughing at this inside the Honda plants as well - everyone is very proud of ASIMO at Honda - he's what out future line worker will look like. You didn't think they would spend millions of dollars on a humanoid robot without a plan, did you? Just wait until he builds the HondaJet in a few years :-)

http://asimo.honda.com/asimos_origin.asp?bhcp=1

That weblink has a few short movies with some of the Asimo prototypes - kind of neat.

[Jerm @ Jul 3rd 2009 9:15PM]

Who's going to be able to buy the HondaJet when nobody is getting a paycheck to produce it?

"Top Story today, Honda finally lays off last of it's human work force world wide. Global un-employment now at 17%. Can I borrow a dollar?"

[SA @ Jan 6th 2007 9:49AM]

in response to your theory about power problems, that is possible but unlikely. when asimo is in demenstration mode, he is programed to lie still when he senses that he has been tiped. simply put: he could damadge himself by trying to stand up...

[SA @ Jan 6th 2007 9:51AM]

in response to rusabnus, i dont think it is a power or computer malfunction. when in demonstration mode, he always stuts down when he falls over, and theirfore cant damadge himself or anyone: think about it. if you were in the crowd and asimo fel onto you, you wouldnt want him grabing your crotch to pull himself back up?

[Brian Laks @ Feb 28th 2007 4:35PM]

Luckily their emergency response team wasted no time rushing into action. Thankfully, Asimo will live to climb another day. Thanks to this I will always carefully monitor each step I ever take on a staircase. Thank you Asimo.

[Bonzai Kitten @ Apr 10th 2007 10:06AM]

Remember when you could escape Daleks by climbing up stairs?

[kinny @ Dec 8th 2007 1:52AM]

wow... the poor robot... so glad it cnt feel pain, but how embarrasing for the hosts and stuff. it looks like the equivelent of a human snapping they'r lingament or the muscle just releasing and the person collapsing.

its amazing though... i still yet hav to master the art of walking upstairs and talking without stopping inbetween, hehe