Say Hello to Asimo: The World's Most Advanced Humanoid Robot

Many people see humanoid robots as a thing of the distant future, but at this moment there are robots greeting people at city museums, playing soccer in an international championship called "robocup," and entertaining crowds of people in places such as Disneyland. Many robots are built for one purpose, whether it is to play a certain sport or entertain a crowd by dancing, but there is a robot that can do all these things and more. It's name is Asimo, and it is considered the most advanced robot ever created.

The first model of Asimo was created in 1986 by Honda engineers. This model, named EO, could only walk in a straight line and took five seconds to take each step. By 1996 the Asimo P3 model could walk up and down stairs and push carts independently (without the use of remote controls). Although this might not sound advanced, balancing is an act that most take for granted, which requires constantly adjusting your body while your weight shifts from one leg to the other.

The latest Asimo model was perfected between 1997 and 2000. Engineers added intelligence features that allowed it to detect moving objects with sensors, detect common postures and gestures made by humans, and they equipped it with a database that allows it to store faces along with the name that matches them.

Asimo stands at 4'10" and weighs 115 pounds. It has what Honda calls "I-walk" technology, which allows it to maneuver in many situations, including walking on rocky terrain, balancing on one foot, walking side-to-side and backwards.

One of Asimo's most impressive features is it's online networking capabilities. For instance, if you ask, "How is the weather?" it will search for the temperature and respond in a matter of seconds.

Among other things, Asimo can shut off lights, open and close doors, carry drinks, and push carts. This makes it especially useful for those who are disabled.

Asimo costs about $150,000 to lease per month. Some workplaces, such as the Museum of Tokyo, have already leased Asimo at that rate. Most workplaces are waiting for the price to drop. Honda plans to lower its cost by mass-producing Asimo within the next ten years, and also plans on making it accessible for those who are disabled. Asimo still has a long way to go before it can be completely useful in places such as an office, but it is an impressive advancement in science and many are excited to see how far it can go.