What we can learn from the era of Asimo: The future of robotics
Asimo is indeed the most famous humanoid robot. Or it was. In this article, we will discuss the factors that led to the phasing out of the robot from mass production. And here’s how a new age of robotics filled the rather large boots of Asimo. Read further to know more.
ASIMO, or Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, was once the world’s most famous, advanced humanoid robot. However, the acronym got derived from the word, “asi” which in Japanese translates to “foot” or “leg.”
Asimo even played football with the US President. Although, it would have been tougher to outrun Zizou or bend it like Beckham at a running speed of 9 km/h.
Nonetheless, Honda’s bipedal humanoid robot was a delightful innovation that promised a lot. In the field of robots designed for assisted living, it held a hefty price tag of 2.5 million dollars. But why did Honda stop production for it? Let discuss some factors in this article.
History of Asimo
Honda started tinkering with the idea of prototype humanoids through the 80s. And over the next two decades, a dozen prototypes got developed. In 1993, Honda unveiled its first prototype humanoid, the P1, a hefty machine at 190 cm and weighing around 175 kg.
Finally, in 2000, the Asimo got launched and became famous for displaying human-like mobility. And soon after, it was inducted in the Carnegie Mellon’s Robot Hall of Fame as the first robot to demonstrate such abilities. In November 2011, an “all-new Asimo” got released with an improved design and longer battery life of one hour. Subsequently, all production got halted in June 2018.
What could Asimo do?
It could interpret voice commands, human gestures and navigate itself through human environments with the help of sensors. It would have made for a good contender for the DARPA Robotics Challenge, but Honda could easily do without the competition. They knew their robot was great.
It was adept at recognizing multiple moving objects and faces. The 2011 Asimo stood at 130 cm tall and weighed 48 kg. The reason why it got built at this height was to aid anyone in a wheelchair. The Asimo got built with different purposes in mind.
Also, when it fell over while trying to walk up a flight of stairs, that must have garnered public sympathy. I think the publicity for Asimo brought robotics to the attention of the public. And Honda associates had proposed to create a humanoid robot that moved and walked just like a human being. They delivered just that.
How crucial was Asimo to Honda’s current vision?
Honda approached research for Asimo with a lot of commitment. And they continued to develop and test from 1986 through 2011. Asimo managed to achieve all complex movements such as hopping on one foot, climbing stairs, and running.
However, saying Asimo is now a bit behind the race is a misleading understatement. Boston Dynamics has delivered humanoid robots that demonstrate capabilities that Asimo cannot hold a candle to any time soon.
Sure, Asimo was a lucrative opportunity for Honda to promote its brand as a robotics company. But, it was a long-term commitment, and they had to follow through to bring more attention to their robotics division. And that could get done with a change in their approach.
What decision did Honda take on Asimo?
The decision was whether to keep creating a new generation of Asimo and fail many times. Or embrace the fact that robotics technologies are offering something more practical?
Although Asimo was a significant achievement in humanoid robotics, it only had show-value. And preparing for demos took considerable effort. For instance, a two-minute demo would take about six months of preparation. So, Honda decided that Asimo’s technology could get expanded on.
Future of Asimo and Robotics
They had already begun making the shift since July 2013 when they were developing a Disaster Response Robot Based on Asimo. Even though Asimo foreshadowed what the robotics future held: in itself, Asimo was not practical enough.
Asimo did some cool things, but robotics is now about shifting from latency to realistic capabilities. And Honda understands that it is not just about brand value; but that Asimo’s technology can get used for the benefit of humankind.
The technology developed for Asimo would go on to get utilized for far more practical use cases in nursing and road transport. And Honda would go on to focus on new robots. However, there were many features of the Asimo robot that would set the benchmark for further innovations. For now, the Asimo has been officially shelved.
