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Honda's ASIMO robot to conduct Yo-Yo Ma and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
One of our favorite bots, Honda's versatile ASIMO, will finally spread its wings and embrace the artistic future it's always hoped for. On May 13, the automaton will conduct the Detroit Symphony Orchestra -- and Yo-Yo Ma -- in a performance of Impossible Dream. The DSO and Honda have combined forces to bring music education to children in Detroit, and ASIMO's concert will be the launching point for a number of projects the Japanese monolith will be sponsoring in the industrial city. Sure, this isn't the first time we've seen a robot conducting an orchestra, but we're fairly confident it will be the best... provided the little guy doesn't take any bad steps.
Honda to show off experimental "walking assist device"
It's far from the only strength-boosting exoskeleton out there, but Honda's so-called "walking assist device" is one of the few that you can actually take for a test spin -- if you happen to be attending the Barrier Free 2008 trade show in Osaka, Japan next week, that is. Apparently employing some of the same technology developed by Honda for its ASIMO robot, the walking assistant is able to obtain information from hip angle sensors to help keep its wearer upright, with the device's motors also able to increase the wearer's natural stride. That, Honda says, should make the device ideal for the elderly or those with weakened leg muscles, although we're sure they could find at least a few other buyers if it ever actually hits the market at a reasonable price. [Via Autoblog]
Honda nav system helps you steer clear of crime, just like your momma taught you
Honda has a new GPS navigation system for Japan that taps into the police database and points out seedy areas on the map. The device can point out specific locations that cars have been stolen or broken into in the past, as well as generally sketchy districts, which basically means that if you weren't paranoid before you got this installed, you certainly will be afterwards. Honda is launching the service today, and we're sure criminals the world over are already wondering what one of these nav systems will go for on the black market.
Honda touts new energy efficient "heat-harnessing hybrid"
Honda's already made more than a few attempts at energy efficient vehicles, but it looks like the company is far from running out of options, with it now touting a new so-called "heat harnessing hybrid" that it says can recapture more lost energy than conventional hybrids during highway driving. The key to that is a so-called Rankine cycle engine, which captures waste heat from the car's exhaust and puts it back to work to heat water, which gets converted to steam to power an electric generator, which in turn charges the car's battery pack. That basic idea, as you may have deduced, is hardly a new one, but Honda appears to have pushed things farther along than most, with its current prototype (a Honda Stream) boasting a 3.8% increase in efficiency when motoring along at 62 miles per hour, among other advantages. That's apparently not quite enough to convince Honda to put the technology to use in production vehicles, however, although it says that situation could change if they're able to boost the efficiency even further.[Via Digg, image courtesy of EcoGeek]
Volvo, Mercedes and Honda get tested for collision prevention, everybody's a winner
We've heard the marketing babble, and pondered the possibilities of a hands-free drive to work, but do those radar-based collision prevention technologies actually work? The British Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre Thatcham seems to think so. BMIRPCT took a long hard look at Volvo City Safety, Mercedes Distronic Plus and Honda CMBS, and decided the technologies will have a major impact on slow speed accidents -- which account for 75% of accidents as it is -- and should prevent more than 125,000 injuries a year in Britain alone, according to this research. [Via gizmag]
Honda's transforming Rose Parade float in action
With all of yesterday's excitement over the availability of TV converter box coupons, we totally spaced on the annual Rose Parade, featuring that crazy ASIMO-piloted, transforming Ridgeline float from Honda. Well luckily a member of the YouTube nation was able to (rather shakily) capture a full transformation sequence on home video, which you can catch in three parts after the break. Our take? Pretty impressive for a parade float, but pit this achingly-slow changer against any one of the Decepticons in a ROBO-One-style deathmatch, and Honda would have a lot of truck-plane pieces to sweep up after the carnage.
Giant ASIMO replica to pilot Honda's transforming Rose Parade float
Generally we're a little too, um, preoccupied on New Year's Day to bother with such trifles as opening our eyes and watching the annual Rose Parade from Pasadena, but with Honda planning an ambitious float for 2008 that will feature a gigantic ASIMO replica riding a transforming Honda Ridgeline, well, at the very least we'll be setting our DVR. According to American Honda, which provides the Tournament of Roses with hundreds of vehicles and has won numerous awards for its entries in the past, its generators will cause "the hood of the truck to fold forward to become an aircraft cockpit, the doors and sides of the truck to unfold outward to become wings, the wheels to tuck under the body, and the bed of the truck to open and take on the form of an aircraft tail section, complete with rocket engines - and even real fire." Giant robots piloting huge fire-breathing truck-planes? If this truly is a "Passport to the Future" as Honda claims, you can sign us up! Lots more pics in the gallery below, and a full seven-part, behind-the-scenes mini-documentary after the break. %Gallery-12426% [Via The Raw Feed, photos and videos courtesy of Honda]
Honda's ASIMO getting more intelligent?
We're not getting too hopeful about all of this just yet, but reportedly, Honda has worked a new series of "cutting-edge intelligence technologies" into ASIMO. Apparently aimed to keep the poor humanoid from tumbling down stairs, the improvements will supposedly enable it to "operate autonomously with people and other ASIMOs," essentially making it more suitable for real world use. More specifically, the new technologies include a "new system that enables multiple ASIMO humanoid robots to share tasks and work together to provide uninterrupted service to people," an automatic charging function, intelligence to avoid obstacles by stepping back or yielding to oncoming objects and the ability to "perform tasks such as carrying a tray and pushing a trolley." That sound you hear? Yeah, that's the collective grumbling of butlers / maids the world over.[Via Pocket-Lint]
Honda's 1981 Electro Gyrocator: vintage navigation at its finest
If you've balked at the prices automakers are charging for integrated navigation systems, you should really take a look at what ¥300,000 ($2,746) would buy you in 1981. That atrocity you see above was an actual option in Honda's Accord during Ronald Reagan's presidency, and while it didn't sync up with any satellites, it did help to guide you along in some form or another. The Electro Gyrocator, as it was so eloquently named, accepted transparencies of maps and utilized a gas gyroscope that allowed the map to move with the motion of the car and plot your progress. Once a certain map ran out of road, you just popped the next one in and kept on cruisin'. And here we are kvetching about whether our portable navigator has 10 or 11 million POIs...[Via Autoblog]
Honda unveils production version of the FCX fuel-cell hybrid, the FCX Clarity
We've been tracking Honda's FCX fuel-cell hybrid on and off since we first heard about the concept way back in 2004, and it looks like a lucky few will finally be able to get their hands on one soon -- the company unveiled the production version of the car, the FCX Clarity, at the LA Auto Show earlier today. While it's not clear if the zero-emissions whip still sports that hydrogen-fuel-station-finding GPS system, you'll still be able to get the "gasoline-equivalent" mileage of 68mpg combined city / highway -- but you'll have to extra-special to do it, since Honda is only leasing around 100 of the vehicles to buyers who live near one of its three hydrogen fuel stations in southern California. The rest of us will just have to struggle along with our super eco-friendly Hummer limos, we suppose.
Japanese automakers collaborate on operating system
Earlier this year, Toyota was reportedly mulling the idea of crafting its own in-car OS, but now the firm -- along with nine other Japanese companies -- will be collaborating with the Economy, Trade, and Industry Ministry to develop "an operating system for automotive electronics." The initiative is supposedly in reaction to similar joint developments going on with a number of European car outfits, and will aim to "create a global standard in the field." Dubbed JasPar (Japan Automotive Software Platform Architecture), the venture will include big shots such as Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Denso, and Toshiba, and you can look for a prototype version to reach completion in 2009.[Via The Raw Feed]
WoW Moviewatch: It must be love
Ian Beckman has done a wide variety of WoW machinima, whether spoofing our favorite super villains (twice), mimicking law enforcement reality shows, or rapping with the raid bosses. He also does commercial parodies from time to time, like this one based on an old Honda ad. It may be short, but it's quite adorable. I found myself counting the number of faces I recognized from television or internet advertisements. I think one of the faces here, (number 6) might even be Lozareth, author of the "Discord Mods" addons that used to be quite popular. His site forums avatar is no longer his own picture, though, so I could be wrong on that. I'd mention more of the recognizable faces, but I don't want to take away your chance: which ones can you call out?Previously on Moviewatch...
Toyota, Honda, and Italdesign compete for attention in Geneva
Looks like Geneva's the place to be this week for those looking for a glimpse of a more fuel-efficient, sci fi-inspired future, with car companies doing their best to out-do one another with their respective concept vehicles on display at the Geneva Motor Show. Three of the vehicles unveiled so far are the Hybrid-X from Toyota (top left), the Small Hybrid Sports from Honda (top right), and the VAD.HO from Italdesign (bottom). Both the Toyota and Honda cars are based on advanced versions of the company's current gas/electric hybrid engines, which means that even if the concepts themselves don't make it to the assembly line, their innards could well find their way into some of the company's other vehicles. Italdesign's VAD.HO concept car, on the other hand, opts to use BMW's Hydrogen 7 engine, which is also equally capable of running on plain old gasoline. Sure to attract the most attention, however, is what's wrapped around that engine, with the car sporting a long and mean design with room for just one passenger, not to mention an interior equipped with joystick controls and a full compliment of video screens. Click on through for a couple of larger pics of each, then hit up the appropriate links below to check 'em out from every angle.Read - Autoblog Green, Toyota Hybrid-XRead - Autoblog Green, Honda Small Hybrid SportsRead - Winding Road, Italdesign VAD.HO
Corncob waste could enable methane use in vehicles
Aside from the obvious choice, there's vehicles scooting around on bioethanol, batteries, fuel cells, and all sorts of other alternatives, but a recent breakthrough in Kansas City, Missouri has opened up the possibility of using natural gas. Currently, the cheaper and cleaner burning methane isn't feasible in modern vehicles due to the extremely high pressure (3,600 psi) and gargantuous tanks required to actually use it. Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia and Midwest Research Institute in Kansas City have devised a way to change all that, however, by using corncob waste to create "carbon briquettes with complex nanopores capable of storing natural gas at an unprecedented density of 180 times their own volume and at one seventh the pressure of conventional natural gas tanks." In layman's terms, this discovery allows natural gas to be held under much less pressure and in thin-walled tanks similar to cells used on current vehicles, which could instantly make natural gas a viable (and readily available) alternative fuel source. A prototype system has been working just fine since last October, and the backers are currently crafting a second revision in hopes of storing even more natural gas and driving production costs down, but there's still no hard deets on when this invention could see commercial light.[Via AutoblogGreen]
Honda paying out $6 million for 'overclocked' odometers
If you've been wondering how your Honda or Acura just seems to cover ground an awful lot quicker than your previous ride without even getting you a speeding ticket, listen up. Apparently, around six million Honda / Acura owners have been wheeling around in vehicles that are clicking off miles quite a bit faster than they're actually being driven. The Society of Automotive Engineers' voluntary standard for fluctuation in an odometer "is plus or minus 4-percent," and strangely enough, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration doesn't even regulate it. Honda claims that its units were "accurate to within 3.75-percent" on the high side, but a lawsuit against them claims that's just a bit too close for the average consumer's well-being. The automaker will be shelling out over $6 million in overcharges for leasers who were unfairly penalized for exceeding the agreed upon mileage, and will also extend the warranty mileage five-percent. Of course, Honda has since tightened up its standards (read: fixed the programming bug), purportedly "aiming for zero" in regard to future error, but if you happen to own a Honda / Acura purchased between April of 2002 and November of last year (or a select '07 Honda Fit), these benefits should be coming your way pending a district court judgment on the settlement.
Video: Asimo's North American trade show debut
The last time we saw Asimo, it was falling down stairs. Call us sadists, but we went to Honda's press conference hoping we'd see a repeat performance from the biped. Unfortunately for us, the three-foot tall humanoid robot didn't fall over, but instead ran across stage, ran in circles and even made it up the stairs. Watch Asimo's North American trade show debut above, or download, or download below the full 13:51 movie.[MP4] Download the movie (82.5 MB)
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]
Honda creates a solar cell subsidiary and factory, to be ready by late 2007
Honda announced late last week that it would establish a new subsidiary, Honda Soltec Co., Ltd., to make some swanky solar cells. This new variety, known in the biz as CIGS (copper, indium, gallium and selenium -- no, not those other environmentally-unfriendly kind), apparently require half of the energy needed to produce traditional solar cells. The Japanese plant, which is already under construction, is expected to be fully operational by fall 2007 with an annual capacity of 27.5 megawatts. Maybe if other automakers can lease some of this tech from Honda, those solar-powered rides will get a bit more budget-friendly -- or at least they might be able to use some of those savings on better industrial design.
Honda has designs on car cam network
Honda looks to be intent on putting a few more eyes on the road (as if there aren't enough already) with its latest bit of automotive gadgetry, a network of car-mounted webcams that'll give you a look at your route before you even roll out of the driveway. According to the patent application, the cameras would be built into the cars' rear-view mirrors, capturing video from the front and back and relaying it along with the car's speed and location to a central server, from which it could then be accessed by other drivers to get an idea of the traffic conditions ahead. Sensing the inevitable flurry of complaints, Honda also appears to be taking some steps to ensure privacy, saying that all video would be submitted anonymously and that the camera's would be switched off when the car's GPS detects that you're close to your home or workplace, although we somehow doubt that'll be enough to make everyone happy. Not content with merely following us humans around, however, Honda also looks like it could be extending its reach into the animal kingdom, saying (we kid you not) that the cameras could even be mounted to pets or wild or performing animals, allowing for such video feeds as "migrating bird cam," "dolphin cam," and "elephant cam." Although they are quick to point out that these feeds would be for entertainment purposes only, and "do not necessarily lie at a traversable location."[Via NewScientistTech]
Honda nav system offers weather, user-submitted POI deets
So you're a tech-minded Honda driver that enjoys tooling around the mean streets of Japan? Surely what you've been pining after for years is a way to know the barometric pressure at your exact location as you drive. Ok, Japanese meteorology enthusiast road warriors, welcome to the future: the InterNavi Premium Club will not only gather precise weather conditions outside your car and help route around road closures (say, due to snow), but also functions with an added "social networking service" so that you can leave a virtual comment about a particular GPS location. So while others are busying themselves waiting in traffic you've successfully routed around, you'll know how likely it is for the sky to close up and pour down rain as you jump out and grab a bowl at that awesome ramen joint geotagged by other salarymen InerNavi users.
