Real Cybernetics by β-Robot

The quadrupedal pack robot from Boston Dynamics, designed for military use.

This guy is pretty good =)

Ishikawa Komuro Lab’s high-speed robot hand performing impressive acts of dexterity and skillful manipulation. Very impressive. For more information, have a look at Hizook.com

Asimo’s triumphs across the world continue. Asimo stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility. Honda’s humanoid robot raises huge interest whether it be presented to politicians or students and researchers at various universities. In 2004, Asimo was elected into the Robot Hall of Fame.

Of all the different products and technological innovations that Honda has launched over the years, Asimo best illustrates what the “power of dreams” stands for; that with the help of technology to create products that make life easier for people and at the same time offers a great deal of fun.

There is no doubt that Asimo during its tours may affect many observers in terms of a smile and in some cases a jaw dropping. To produce a vehicle with an engine that drives two or four wheels a lot of companies can handle, but far fewer have the potential and desire to create a working robot.

Honda began its developing work in 1986 with the goal of creating a robot that could help out in people’s daily lives. Therefore it was important that the robot could move in furnished rooms, including walking up and down stairs. Many research hours were devoted to figure out how the robot would move in a human-like manner and cope with different types of surfaces.

It took many years of research and product development before Honda engineers were satisfied. After the first model E0, six more generations were made until 1993, when the robot P1 saw the light of day and wsa subsequently followed by siblings P2 and P3. Asimo was introduced at the turn of the millennium as the first robot that displayed a realistic and flexible walking technology.

Since then, Asimo evolved with new generations and the robot can now run at a speed of 3 km/h. Walking speed has increased from 1.6 to 2.5 km/h. Asimo can also give and receive things from a person, shake hands and move forward or backward when the person pulling or pushing from the robot’s hand. This is possible because of the visual sensors Asimo is equipped with the “head” and the dynamometric sensors that are in the wrists. Source: HONDA