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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]
Engadget goes legs-on with Honda's walking-assist devices (with video!)
helps with correct stride and assistance for forward movement, and the other which is meant for supporting your weight while doing tasks that require lots of bending at the knee. The former is intended to help the elderly, the disabled and those suffering from muscle or joint weakness walk more easily, and the latter is geared towards workers who are constantly performing leg and knee movements that can cause strain or injury. Since most of the editors at Engadget are unnaturally, monstrously large (like if Frankenstein and The Thing had a child out of wedlock) -- and could therefore only fit into one of the devices -- we brought along our more reasonably sized intern, Kevin Wong, to step up into the other's shoes (which he did with aplomb). Perhaps the most interesting facts we went away with today were about Honda's attitude on their new technology; they seemed adamantly against selling the stride-boosting stilts to the military, but they do plan on selling them at a consumer level (a la car and motorcycle sales), and... they didn't seem too keen on our ideas about outfitting our "gang" with them for help doing murders. Oh well. Check out the wildly entertaining video of all the action after the break, and enjoy a swim in the stacked gallery below. Update: Since some of you have asked, we'll try to explain a little like what walking with the legs (the ones in the above picture at least) was like. Firstly, the leg motors run on a kind of timer, once you start moving, the computer on-board gets a "sense" of how quickly you'll be walking and begins to push and pull the motor to that rhythm. As you speed up or slow down, you can feel that "timer" catching up. The general feeling wasn't that it was adding that much to our movement -- it's obviously intended for those with some issues already, not people who are necessarily walking normally. Still, you could definitely feel the "legs" exerting a kind of tension on your muscles as you moved back and forth, and the feeling of having more power in your gait was absolutely present. Kevin's description of the second unit was that it was more difficult to walk (and there was no push / pull of a timer), but that he could sense the unit supporting his weight -- though it wasn't as if he could simply put all of his weight on the device. That unit certainly seemed to have a more substantial impact for those without a medical issue or related impediment. If you've got more specific questions, feel free to let us know in comments and we'll try to answer them!
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 sponsors launch of Xbox Live Primetime
Honda is hoping that the chance to win a Honda Insight will be motivation enough to get some folks into Microsoft's Xbox Live Primetime channel, set to launch on May 15. The Japanese giant will be sponsoring the release of the Xbox 360's new online space through a "Play & Win" campaign, forcing participants stuck in queue in the waiting room to watch ads for the car before being thrust into an open game. In the end, the overall winner of "Play & Win" will be gifted a 2010 Honda Insight, allowing them to drive around and quietly judge everyone else that isn't a hybrid owner.Source - AdAge (subscription required) [Via Autobloggreen]
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]
Honda's "Let it Shine" commercial turns a grid of Insights into giant LED display
ASIMO and his Earth-loving robot compadres pulling the strings at Honda have once again managed to find a way to save us humans from ourselves. All it took was an affordable hybrid, apparently, and Honda is showing off its new Insight by turning those LED headlights into one gigantic animated Lite-Brite in an upcoming commercial. The spot's called "Let it Shine," and the video's after the break. Hit up the read link for the making of video and a detailed carbon footprint breakdown of the shoot -- you know you want to.
Video: Honda Insight's Eco Assist nags like a backseat hippie
Honda's new 5-passenger "Insight" hybrid just went on sale in Japan. The ¥1,890,000 (about $20,750) hatchback's 1.3l i-VTEC engine with Integrated Motor Assist features Honda's new Ecological Assist system that helps correct your wasteful driving habits. Eco Assist features an ECON mode (via dashboard button) that adjusts the engine output to conserve energy and increases regenerative recharging during deceleration. It also features Guidance and Scoring modes that adjust the background color of the speedometer and presents more (or less) leaves on the dashboard multi-information display to reflect your current level of fuel efficiency. The idea is simple: as your driving "improves" both your bank account and the environment will benefit. The Insight is expected to make its way to your local amber waves of grain or purple mountain majesty dealership in April, Europe in March. Skip ahead to 1:40 in the video posted after the break for the full Eco Assist rundown.
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!"
Honda's color-changing speedometer to drive out bad driving habits
So, you've a lead foot? What of it, right? Honda's hoping to make that bad little habit vanish by using the tried and true guilt trip method, or more specifically, the Ecological Drive Assist System. For starters, the technology's ECON Mode works with the CVT and engine to "support more fuel-efficient driving." The real kicker, however, is the color-based "guidance function" -- drive like a granny, your speedo lights up green, drive a little wilder, and things get a bit blue, and if you toss fuel economy to the wind and let 'er rip, expect a full-on blue screen and the voice of God to come thundering through your sound system instructing that those horses be held. The EDAS should appear in the automaker's Insight hybrid as early as Spring 2009, though there's no word if it'll be standard equipment on the rumored S3000.
Honda's FC Sport fuel-cell hybrid debuts in a puff of conceptual smoke
If the Tesla Roadster has proven anything other than the disruptive effects of a hyper-inflated ego, it's that well designed eco-vehicles will sell... at any price. Yet the general design theme amongst hybrid builders appears to be your grandfather's loafer. Honda too, just look at the FCX Clarity. So we're pretty stoked to see Honda roll out its FC Sport concept three-seater (driver front-and-center) at the LA Auto Show using the same V-Flow fuel cell stack and electric drivetrain found in the FCX Clarity. Only thing is, it's a non-functional concept with little hope of hitting the market anytime soon if history serves. Good news for GM but bad news for consumers. As a wise man of consumer electronics once said: "You know how you see a show car, and it's really cool, and then four years later you see the production car, and it sucks? And you go, What happened? They had it! They had it in the palm of their hands! They grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory! What happened was, the designers came up with this really great idea. Then they take it to the engineers, and the engineers go, 'Nah, we can't do that. That's impossible.' And so it gets a lot worse. Then they take it to the manufacturing people, and they go, 'We can't build that!' And it gets a lot worse." Or to paraphrase: It's like asking for a Big Mac and getting a fish sandwich.Read -- Parable of the Concept Car Read -- FC Sport
Honda introduces new walking assist machine, doubles as bionic wedgie maker
For a company most famous for its wheeled products, Honda certainly seems quite focused on things to help people get about on their own two feet, introducing another new prototype machine with just that in mind. Unlike the earlier Walking Assist Device, which is intended just to help patients re-learn how to walk, the new (and cunningly named) Walking Assist Device with Bodyweight Support System is for anyone who needs a lift -- even those who are perfectly healthy. To use it you basically straddle a bicycle seat with robotic legs, tie it to your shoes, and then (gingerly) go about your business, uncomfortably demonstrated in a video after the break. The legs support your body when you crouch and give little tugs on your feet when you walk, making bipedal mobility less of a strain. A Honda engineer said "It reduces stress, and you should feel less tired." Less tired, yes, and less exercised too. We envision a future where spindly robotic legs shudder under the weight of our grossly obese frames -- but maybe we've seen Wall-E too many times.[Via Associated Press]
Honda bringing 360-degree multi-view camera system to Odyssey
Honda's been trying for months now to convince you that "the van is back in style," and while we're still not entirely sure that line isn't just marketing hoopla (okay, it is), at least the company is working to make the thing more technologically advanced. Starting next month in Japan, the automaker will debut a multi-view camera system for its Odyssey minivan, which will utilize the same 360-degree overhead cam tech that Nissan picked up last year. The system will give drivers the ability to see more as they prepare to back out, and the biggest boon is the ability to view ninjas adhered to parking garage ceilings prior to opening the sunroof and facing The Reaper. Unfortunately, there's no word on when it'll be available in other corners of the globe, but we'd guess 2009 if we had a Katana put to our throat.[Thanks, JagsLive]
Honda's Walking Assist Device beginning medical testing
Honda's been busy showing off its Walking Assist Device at trade shows and whatnot for some time now, but it looks like it's now finally getting down to some actual trials of the contraption, with it set to begin some collaborative testing with the Shinseikai Medical Group at Kasumigaseki-Minami Hospital tomorrow. They will reportedly be using the device in rehabilitation training to help people learn to walk again, during which time the "compatibility and effectiveness" will be evaluated. In case you missed it, the Walking Assist Device uses some of the same technology that Honda originally developed for its ASIMO robot, including an array of sensors and motors that promise to keep the wearer upright and, eventually, give them a fighting chance against the machines.
Honda FCX Clarity set to enter limited production and sale
If you're in the market for a fuel efficient car, but you've been holding out for something a little more advanced than the Prius -- your dreams may have just been answered. Honda announced today that it would begin producing limited quantities of its FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles for sale in the US and Japan over the next few years. According to the automaker, it plans to offer around 200 of the zero-emission cars in the next three years, with a few dozen models expected on the road this year leased at around $600 a month. Said John Mendel, a senior vice president at Honda, "It's an especially significant day for American Honda as we plant firm footsteps toward the mainstreaming of fuel cell cars." Now all they have to do is get more than 3 fueling stations out there and we'll be all set.Read - Honda rolls out fuel cell carRead - Honda starts producing next-generation fuel cell car
ASIMO learns to understand three people at once
ASIMO has already proven itself to be pretty multi-talented, but it looks like it's now added yet another trick to its repertoire, with a pair of researchers giving it the ability to understand three people speaking at once. That was done with the aid of eight microphones and a specially-designed software program dubbed HARK, which works out where each voice is coming from and isolates it from other sounds. Right now, however, that's only being used to referee games of rock-paper-scissors, with each individual shouting out their choice at once, but the researchers eventually hope to get ASIMO up to the level of humans' ability to listen at a cocktail party, although they admit that is still a "long way" off.
The VC Advantage: Honda City Connection
Here's something I didn't know until I went Wikipedializing: the comically squatty car that serves as the player avatar in City Connection isn't just a broad caricature of small cars. It's actually based on a real automobile, the Honda City. The City, went on to be known as the Jazz in Europe, as did its future models, but it was renamed in Japan in 2002 to the Fit. Which means that I have just discovered that I'm in the process of purchasing an updated version of the car from City Connection. Retro games are in my blood. Personal anecdote aside, I wonder how Honda felt about the City's portrayal in City Connection. On the one hand, it is being used to destroy cop cars, and it crashes irreparably on contact with any cat. On the other hand, it handles really well in the game, and can jump. Pretty much any time City Connection comes up, it's as an excuse to talk about the music. In that vein, enjoy the guitar version of the level one theme! I'm pretty sure you will enjoy it. And after the break, a vintage Japanese City Connection commercial!
Video: ASIMO burns as Yo-Yo Ma fiddles
Stand down oh gentle readers and defenders of the flesh, we're getting reports from Detroit that the baton wielding ASIMO did not direct the human race to its doom. Instead, Yo-Yo Ma is safe and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra concert went off without a hitch while netting the DSO a cool million for the musical education of Grosse Pointe's children. Of course, the Honda-built robot wasn't so lucky as he got "keyed" on his walk back through the parking lot. We kid, we kid.Update: Video added after the break.[Thanks, Funke]
