Journal 8:New technology

ASIMO, standing for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, is Honda's take on robots. He/she/it is a step on the way to designing a robot capable of living, interacting and working with people. ASIMO has the appearance of a child in a space suit, his smaller size, about 120 cm, allows him to interact with people seated at a table and gives him a more likable and less 'intimidating' appearance. After all who wants to be served coffee by a machine that looks like it could snap you in two. One of Honda's predeccessors to ASIMO was 6'2" and 386 lbs. ASIMO has recently been given the ability to run, something very difficult for robots to do as the computations required to maintain balance are far greater then those required to walk where one foot is always in contact with the ground. Honda's research into humanoid robots began in 1986, key elements to the development of this robot was the research done regarding intelligence and maneuverability. The first ASIMO robot prototype was unveiled in 2000 and since then many upgrades and improvements have been made.