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Honda announces plans to build electric VTOLs and telepresence robots
Honda announced Thursday that it is working to develop, remote telepresence robots, electric VTOLs for short-hop commutes, and a fuel-cell driven power generation system for the lunar surface.
Honda ends development of its bipedal Asimo robot
We've been enjoying Honda's Asimo (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) robot ever since Engadget existed, but now Honda has announced that this robot project is winding down. The technology behind Asimo isn't going away, however, as it will be put to use in other products, like the Walking Assist device we've seen or its self-balancing motorcycle. The project hasn't seen any big updates since an autonomy-heavy revision in 2011, and without any future as a commercial product, company bosses are pulling the plug. Don't assume Honda is through with robotics and AI, however, the segment is one-third of its "2030 Vision" along with mobility and energy solutions.
Honda's disaster recovery robot can climb ladders
The disaster response team of the future could be made up of an army of cheery orange robots, according to Honda. The company has unveiled a working prototype of its E2-DR disaster response robot -- first revealed in an R&D paper in 2015 -- and it can do a lot. At 1.68 meters high and weighing in at 85 kilograms, E2-DR can walk, step over objects, climb stairs and ladders, slink through narrow spaces and traverse piles of debris. It can even tolerate rain for 20 straight minutes, which is more than a lot of actual people can.
Honda's upgraded ASIMO robot is faster and smarter but still won't scare Sarah Connor
Honda's been working on its ASIMO robot for the better part of two decades, but only now is it finally beginning to look like a useful project. The latest version of the droid, similar to the one we saw two years ago, comes with a raft of physical improvements, including new legs that'll cope with uneven terrain, walk backwards and even run at speeds of nearly six miles an hour. Then there are the redesigned hands, which now have 13 degrees of freedom, enabling the 'bot to hold and manipulate objects without crushing or dropping them.
HUBO 2 has articulated hands, can walk 2 km on a charge: yours for $400k
HUBO has come so far from mastering the basics of mobility. The latest from KAIST is HUBO 2, a robot with flexible limbs that allow it to bend down and even do push-ups. The HUBO 2's hands are another big improvement, now allowing the humanoid to open car doors, operate a gear shift and hold up to 7 kg. KAIST used "individually actuated" fingers that adapt to the shape of whatever HUBO 2 is holding, a la Honda's new ASIMO. The robot can walk 2 km on a charge, and it looks like it's a little less of a slow poke now, too: KAIST increased its running speed to 4 kph from 3 kph. Check out the source link and video below to see the HUBO 2 in action -- if you're impressed, it can be yours for a cool $400,000.
Honda's ASIMO robot sheds a few pounds, gets all autonomous on us (video)
We've already seen it dance, sing and read minds, but Honda's ASIMO humanoid has now taken that one great leap into decidedly more dystopian territory. The revamped bot, pictured above (and apparently doing its best Herman Cain impression), was unveiled today in Japan, sporting a streamlined physique and scarily adept mind. In fact, Honda claims that its bot is now less "automated" than it is "autonomous" -- all thanks to new behavior control technology that allows it to move and make decisions on its own, independent of human operators. Its external recognition capability and set of onboard visual and auditory sensors enable it to rapidly process information about its environment, which the ASIMO then uses to plot its next move. Combining long- and short-term sensor data, the droid can predict human movements and automatically recognize voices or gestures. Because of this, Honda says, the ASIMO could be more easily integrated within social environments, and peacefully coexist with its human prey counterparts. Physically, meanwhile, the robot's looking svelter than ever, having shed a full six kilograms. It can now run at a maximum speed of 9 kilometers per hour, jump up and down for as long as it wants, and even hop on one leg, should it ever need to. Plus, its hands are now more dexterous than ever, thanks to new independent finger control functions that allow it to handle the most delicate of tasks -- like pouring you a stiff one after work, or before your inevitable demise. Check out more images in the gallery below, or hop past the break for a video and accompanying press release. %Gallery-138746%
ASIMO mimics your every move, edges closer towards Single White Robot territory (video)
Hey, look Engadgeteers! It's another Kinect hack -- except this one uses a real deal robot. Honda ushered ASIMO out to the crowds at IEEE's 2011 International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems to show off its newly acquired pop and lock skills. Alright, so the silicon-gutted fella can't krump with the best of'em yet, but he can probably do the locomotion -- it all depends on your dance repertoire. After toiling away in their mad scientist lairs, the researchers behind the bot have managed to devise a means of mimicking human movement that translates mapped points on a user's upper body into real-time, robot-replicated motion. The devious among you are likely imagining left-of-center uses for the tech, but let us deflate that mischievous balloon; there'll be no instances of "stop hitting yourself ASIMO" here, as engineers have built-in collision and stability safeguards. The so-lifelike-it's-Uncanny advancements don't end there either, since ASIMO also contains a database of text-inspired gestures -- giving our future robot friend a means of physically expressing his cold, "I hate you so much right now" robo-tone. Other than finding himself at home in Italy, these innovations are sure to put ASIMO on the other end of our remote-controlled behest. Click on past the break to see this automated mime drop it like it's hot.
Fake car makes room for a fake ASIMO to be your fake driving companion
You know, we're realists, and we know deep down that cars in the future are going to drive themselves just fine without a humanoid robot to grab the controls and peer out of specially crafted front compartments. Even if a humanoid was doing the steering, he'd probably just jack into the car's full complement of cameras and sensors, merely using his CPU to plot a course from his comfy charging bay in the trunk. But we want to believe. Designer Derek Chik Kin Ng has come up with this Honda concept (one which we're guessing has no official collaboration with Honda) that packs a nice little front seat for your 8th gene ASIMO. The bot can hop out of the car and help you on your errands, make casual conversation as you drive, warn you of upcoming hazards, or take over controls when you're in the mood for some SpaceChess2000. Only thing he can't do? Actually exist.
Iran's got a walking humanoid robot, too (update: video!)
Two years ago, Iranian students built Sorena, a white humanoid machine that reportedly wheeled about via remote control. For 2010, robots experts at Tehran University decided to update the creature -- and apparently, channel a little bit of Asimo. Surena 2 was unveiled by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad this week, its purpose unknown. Named after a famous Persian warrior, the robot stands 4.7 feet tall, and can walk about slowly carrying its own weight of 99 pounds. Gulf News reports the robot will get vision and speech modules later on down the road. If it ends up conducting orchestras or performing show tunes, we'll be sure to keep you informed.
ASIMO slims down, gains new capabilities in latest revision
We've been hearing about a few of ASIMO's new tricks as of late, and it looks like Honda's now finally showing off some of its hard work. The most noticeable change is that ASIMO (now sporting the P4 designation) has shed over one hundred pounds, and now weighs in at a slight 176 pounds -- letting it slip into a stylish new blue cover for its torso. That weight loss also comes with some added mobility, with the P4 boasting 34 degrees of freedom (four more than its predecessor), and a more flexible waist that makes it more adept at walking and even dancing. Yeah, we're as sad as everyone that there's no video yet, but you can at least check out few more pics at the link below. Update: It turns out this is not an updated ASIMO model, but rather an earlier ASIMO prototype that has only just been revealed at the Honda Collection Hall in Motegi, Japan. ASIMO's current dancing ability remains a mystery.
Asimo learns to sing and dance, but has yet to learn how to love
From parade appearances to his most recent star turn at Sundance, it looks like Asimo's re-invention as a song-and-dance man continues unabated. Most recently, those crazy intellectual property lawyers-cum-bloggers at Stamoulis & Weinblatt, LLC have hepped us to a patent app in Honda's name that describes a robot that can not only pick up a beat and dance along, but recognize the tune and sing its lyrics as well. The latter is accomplished by a wide array of techno-stuff, including a "sound collecting unit," a "voice signal generating unit" capable of both scat singing and singing singing, a "self-vocalized voice regulating unit," and more. As far as the dancing goes, the application implies that it has something to do with a "beat interval estimating unit" and a "beat time reliability calculating unit," although we like to believe that the automaton learned to dance the way grandpa did -- from Arthur Murray on West 57th Street in Manhattan.
Asimo stars in Living With Robots, promises not to forget the 'little people' (video)
When we saw Asimo do his Fred Astaire act a while back we knew he had star quality -- and now it looks like the feisty robot is finally getting his big break. Living With Robots, which just premiered at Sundance Film Festival, was directed by Joe Berlinger (who directed Metallica's Some Kind of Monster) and tells the story of a humanoid robot that gets stranded at home while his family flies overseas for Christmas. Instead of calling the police, he stays home -- alone -- and bravely fights off Joe Pesci and some other guy whose name we can't remember. [Editor's note: This is patently untrue. Actually, the film promises to investigate "humankind's keen interest in robots and how robots can challenge the impossible by saving lives while also holding the promise to become more integrated and helpful in daily life." So there.] Interested? We bet you are! Check out the PR, and the eight minute commercial short film, after the break.
Honda's U3-X Personal Mobility Device is the Segway of unicycles
Yeah, we've seen a self-balancing unicycle before, but the brand new U3-X from Honda takes it to another level. A creepy-sterile, awesomely futuristic Honda level, to be precise. What makes the U3-X particularly interesting is it has the regular large wheel of a unicycle, but that wheel is actually made up of several small wheels in a series, which can rotate independently, meaning that the device can go forward, backward, side-to-side and diagonally, all being controlled with a simple lean. Honda credits its ASIMO research for this multi-directional capability, though we're not sure we see it -- ASIMO is biped, after all -- but far be it from us to discredit an excuse to keep up the good work on the ASIMO front. Right now the "experimental model" of the U3-X gets a single hour of battery and weighs under 22 pounds, with a seat and foot rests that fold into the device for extra portability. No word of course on when the thing might make it to market, but Honda plans to show it off next month at the Tokyo Motor Show. A devastatingly short video of the U3-X in action is after the break.
Latest ASIMO prototype is made of wood, requires one human
Honda may have bestowed plenty of improvements on ASIMO over the years, but it looks like an alumni of rival robot maker Waseda University has taken it upon himself to deliver some improvements of his own that make it even more lifelike, though no doubt just as prone to tumbles. The key, it seems, is to ditch the robotics and high-tech materials altogether and instead use something called "wood," which can be fashioned into a shell (or "costume," if you will) that's able to accommodate one slightly uncomfortable human. Either that, or ASIMO has been robot-napped from Honda and is now being held at an undisclosed location. Check out the video after the break to decide for yourself.
Researchers teach ASIMO and HRP-2 a bit of real life Frogger
Some George Costanza-types at Carnegie Mellon have repurposed their own hard earned knowledge of Frogger maneuvers at the university arcade into useful object avoidance techniques for robots. They've outfitted both ASIMO and HRP-2 with versions of the technology, which allows the robots to detect their surroundings, create 3D maps of obstacles and plan routes accordingly (and actually has nothing to do with Frogger). If you check out the two videos after the break, you can see that these guys really put the bots through the ringer, including some death defying spinning obstacles that ASIMO avoided with ease, and the "real life" environment the HRP-2 is faced with... but seriously, couldn't they just let ASIMO have the blue dot already? [Thanks, Poly Bug]
iRobot says its Warrior bot is more human than ASIMO
Is a humanoid robot inherently more human than your average task-specific bot? iRobot apparently doesn't think so, and it's taken square aim at one of the most popular humanoid bots around to make its point. That argument arose in a recent interview with CNET News, where iRobot CEO Colin Angle responded to a question about humanoid robots by flatly asking, "why would you want to make a humanoid robot?," adding that they might be good for movies or those looking for a robot companion, "but other than that, most tasks are best tackled by designs that are not constrained by trying to look like a person." He then goes on to note that Honda's ASIMO "requires a team of 10 or 15 people to maintain it, it can walk about, maybe, half a meter per second and in some situations climb stairs over the course of a few minutes, and if it ever falls down, it's a paperweight." On the other hand, iRobot's Warrior bot, he says, "can take a 10-foot drop onto concrete, drive 20 miles an hour, drive up stairs without stopping at full speed, carry 200 pounds of payload and has, maybe, five motors," which means it can "go nearly everywhere a human can." So, Angle says, "you look at these things and say, which one of these is a robot human? The answer is, Warrior." Is it? Or, deep down, is there a little bit of ASIMO in all of us?
Honda's ASIMO could be thought controlled in Spaceballs 2
Sorry, that's not actually Dark Helmet, it's a researcher demonstrating the latest Brain Machine Interface (BMI) cooked up for robotics. While it's not looking too portable, it's a far nimbler setup than the original MRI Scanner first concocted by Honda to control robots in near real-time back in 2006. This time, Honda Research Institute in coordination with Advanced Telecommunications Research (ATR) and Shimadzu Corporation have achieved robotic thought control using a sensor cap to measure electrical potential on the scalp and cerebral blood flow. While we've seen much of this BMI tech applied to video games in the past, Honda claims its technology achieves the world's highest accuracy at 90% without special training. Impressive, even though it's clearly R&D work for now. Check the video after the break. [Via Akihabara News]
E-paper signs being tested in Tokyo for disaster prevention
While we're still waiting for our electronic broadsheet (hell, we'll settle for a tabloid) it looks like folks in Toshima will be seeing quite a bit of the e-paper as they hit the streets of this Tokyo ward. In a test conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the signage has been installed in the proximity of the Toshima Life and Industry Plaza, where a wireless network was established to provide updates in case of an emergency. There are currently two signs: one in the lobby of the post office measures over three meters across and sports 240 x 768 resolution (the paper has 4mm pixels), and holds down power consumption at about 24W. Stationed at the Higashi-Ikebukuro bus stop, the second sign is 60 x 40 centimeters with 144 x 96 resolution, and power consumption here is about 9W. The test will run until January 29th, after which point the city will have to rely upon its usual civil defense repertoire -- which is believed to include the vigilant eye of Honda's 49-foot ASIMO.
Hydrogen-powered Honda FCX Clarity, giant ASIMO to lead Rose Parade
For the first time ever (yes, ever!), this year's Rose Parade in Pasadena, California will be headed up by a hydrogen-powered vehicle. Honda's fuel cell-equipped FCX Clarity will lead the 120th parade, and the pace car will be followed by the Super Cub motorcycle -- the first model sold in the United States. As fancy as these two are, it's the ASIMO that'll undoubtedly steal the show, and yes, we're talking about the 49-foot iteration we spotted a few days back. Catch Honda's trio riding high on January 1 at 8:00AM PST; after that, it's time to place your bets between USC and Penn State.
Caption Contest: 49-foot ASIMO makes trees, dancers look tiny
There's nothing that screams "end of the world" quite like a 49-foot ASIMO towering over a forest, but we'd prefer to ignore inevitable doom long enough to imagine what exactly a 49-foot ASIMO would scream. Thomas: "Dance I said! Dance!"Chris: "Hey, did we remember to fix that bug where he falls down stairs?"Joe: "Where's Arthur Murray when we need him the most?"Darren: "Wait, Dancing With The Stars said what? No pimp canes? That's a deal-breaker."Paul: "In his musical debut, 'ASIMO Takes the Stairs,' the eponymous star provides a surprisingly self-deprecating reenactment of the moments leading up to his infamous tumble. Music by Elton John."Nilay: "Not to be outdone, iRobot later sucked the entire city of Pasadena into a football field-sized Roomba."Don: "After years of toiling away at two-bit trade shows, ASIMO finally realized his dream project: Mr. Peanut: The Musical."Ross: "Having been turned down by both Ultrazoid and Voltron, the giant ASIMO checked his RAM for a dance number he could do solo."Josh T.: "Moments later, running ASIMO's 'Jazz Hands' script sent dancers flying hundreds of feet to their grizzly deaths."Josh F.: "I'm crushing your head! I'm crushing your head!"Cesar (from Zune): "I for one welcome our inflatable robot overlords. With a dance!"
