Blog 8: ASIMO

Honda's ASIMO ("Advanced Step in Innovative MObility") humanoid robot is certainly an interesting piece of technology. While in Japan for a 12-hour layover (returning from Vietnam), our tour group had the opportunity to meet Mr. ASIMO. He greeted us with a few 'words.'

'What, is this blog late?'

"Of course not."

ASIMO was able to walk, run, use non-vocal expressions, and he could even dance. I'd say that makes him pretty human, because I definitely can't dance as well as him.

What made ASIMO incapable of ever being a human, however, was his peculiar stance: he could not stand still without having his 'knees' bent. 

"Am I not human? But I can cry..."

As it turns out, ASIMO, with all of his robotic gadgetry crammed into his back panel, has a center of mass located slightly behind his heels when he stands up straight. Therefore, the torque caused by his mass would cause him to rotate and fall over. To compensate, his designers forced him to be bent-kneed at all times in order to keep his CM inside of his support base and to protect his expensive circuitry. 

Thus, for self-preservation, ASIMO continues to be a bent-legged robot, suited for waiting tables.

Maybe next time, buddy.