ASIMO™, Humanoid Robot
The Dream: Help People by Providing Them with New Types of Mobility
"Our dream for the future was to create something that did not exist - an advanced humanoid robot capable of walking and operating where humans live and work. For Honda, the challenge itself was enough reason to pursue this dream."
-- Hiroyuki Yoshino, former President & CEO, Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
More than 20 years ago, our engineers set out to make a contribution to society beyond our existing product lineup of cars, motorcycles and power equipment products. It was a big dream - some thought it was simply the stuff of science fiction - to create a humanoid robot that could walk on two legs and whose main purpose would be to help people, such as the elderly and others who were confined to a bed or a wheelchair. Ultimately, our efforts led to the creation of ASIMO, a humanoid robot, which stands for "Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility."
It was a long, arduous process and our engineers could easily have been discouraged. It was quite exciting as we developed the first robots. Some of them were quite large - over six feet tall. Many fell down - it wasn't easy to create a robot that could walk like a human being. But through early prototype robots in the 1980s and '90s, we perfected achieving balance, wireless automatic movements and a friendlier design. We determined that a robot should be easy to operate and small in size, enabling it to look eye to eye with an adult seated in a chair.
Introduced to the world in November 2000, ASIMO remains the world's most advanced bi-pedal humanoid robot, with capabilities that are continually being advanced.
Today, with the ability to run an incredible 4 miles per hour, the all-new ASIMO is advancing ever closer to in-home applications. But ASIMO doesn't just run it possesses an amazing array of abilities: able to climb stairs, grasp objects and carry trays, comprehend simple voice commands and recognize a familiar face, and avoid moving obstacles.
One of the truly wonderful and unexpected by-products of ASIMO is that this amazing walking humanoid robot has drawn young people toward the sciences. When they see ASIMO climb a flight of stairs, their curiosity is sparked. Students around the world are awed by ASIMO, encouraging them to look into careers in math and science.
Honda will continue to work with ASIMO to inspire young people through a variety of projects, including a live science show at Disneyland in California called, "Say Hello to Honda's ASIMO."
But the effort to advance humanoid robotics won't stop there. We believe humanoid robots have the potential to be of great benefit to people. And as we continue to advance ASIMO's technologies, this remains our guiding principle.