Those who do not believe that robots may eventually enslave the human race to do their bidding, you might want to revisit that thought. Honda's Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility robot, known as ASIMO, is looking to become the first fully functional robot to live amongst humans.
This awesome looking robot has come a long way since the very first prototype that was too dumb for us to care. However, the latest version is bringing humanoid robots closer to our homes to be our "do everything while we sleep" servant. It's pretty impressive what Honda has managed to do with ASIMO, and it has given us hope that we might very well live to see robot servant on-sale in a store.
From what we understand, the new version of ASIMO features improved hand dexterity, which gives the robot the ability to use sign languages in both Japanese and American. Furthermore, ASIMO is capable of running faster than before, hop, jump around, and even climb stairs more smoothly. The robot can even balance on a single foot, a massive improvement for something that is far from ready for prime-time.
The most impressive thing about the latest version of ASIMO is its ability to balance itself better. This opens up a lot of possibilities, for example, dancing. Have you ever seen a robot dancing before? Well, you've come to the right place.
"If I apply gentle pressure to ASIMO, it will resist," said Honda Assistant VP of North American Corporate Affairs Jeffrey Smith. "ASIMO is balancing right now. When you stand up, you are using [energy] to stay erect. And ASIMO is doing the same thing. It's using its reproduced mechanical systems to remain standing. It's not just standing there like a G.I. Joe. It's not static. It's really balancing. Its battery is running now."
What Honda has demoed with ASIMO is a calling to robot creators to put more effort and time into their products. If this is done, it is likely the future might be closer than we like to believe.
