ASIMO is a humanoid robot developed by Honda. In 1986, Honda started to work on creating a robot able to walk. The earliest models of what would eventually become ASIMO were focused on creating legs which would be able to walk just like a real person. The next generation of prototypes were focused on stabilizing their walking and stair climbing abilities. Once scientists had perfected this, they began to focus on the upper body sections. This included the additions of a head, body and arms to the robot. This led to the third generation of prototype robots which were gradually scaled down and given a friendlier design. Currently, the ASIMO robot, after twenty years of R&D, is able to walk, run, turn on the move, use stairs and is also able to pick up objects. ASIMO is also able to respond to simple voice commands and survey its environment using built in camera eyes. This allows the robot to avoid obstacles while walking. As development of ASIMO progresses, Honda is hoping that ASIMO will soon be able to serve as an assistant for those with physical disabilities, such as immobility, blindness and deafness. ASIMO may also be used in the future to perform tasks that are too dangerous for people, such as clearing up toxic spillages or working in unstable environments.
ASIMO stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility. [2] It was unveiled on the 21st of October 2000. The main purpose of ASIMO is to serve as a mobile assistant and to be able to help people with mobility issues. ASIMO is currently used for demonstrations across the world.
“Our pilot study examined what features can be built into ASIMO to help children learn. Children engaged in a table-setting task with ASIMO that exhibited different learning styles (Lecture, cooperative, self-directed) and general features (voice and gestures). Results showed that children did better when the interaction was cooperative, and when ASIMO’s voice and gestures were more human-like. Overall, selection of Learning Style and General Feature mattered, possibly more so for younger children. Behavioural observations suggested future possible interventions and responses for ASIMO to increase continuous engagement with the child”
ASIMO Specifications
| HEIGHT | 4 ft 3in (130 cm) |
| WEIGHT | 110 pounds (50 kg) |
| WALKING SPEED | 1.7 mph (2.7 km/hour) |
| RUNNING SPEED | 4.3 mph (7 kph) |
| WALKING CYCLE | Cycle Adjustable, Stride Adjustable |
| GRASPING FORCE | 0.5 kg/hand (5 finger hand) |
| ACTUATOR | Servomotor+Harmonic Speed Reducer+Drive Unit |
| CONTROL UNIT | Walk/Operating Control Unit, Wireless Transmission Unit |
| SENSORS: FOOT | 6-axis Foot Area Sensor |
| SENSORS: TORSO | Gyroscope & Acceleration Sensor |
| POWER | Rechargeable 51.8V Lithium Ion Battery |
| OPERATING TIME: | 1 hour |
| OPERATION | Workstation and Portable Controller |
DEGREES OF FREEDOM (for human joints)
| HEAD | Neck joint (Up/Down, Left/Right Rotation) | 3 DOF | ||
| ARMS | Shoulder joints (Forward/Backward, Up/Down Rotation) | 3 DOF | ||
| Elbow joints (Forward/Backward) | 1 DOF | |||
| Wrist joints (Up/Down, Left/Right, Rotation) | 14 DOF | = | 7 DOF x 2 arms | |
| HANDS | 4 fingers (to grasp objects) / Thumb | 26 DOF | = | 13 DOF x 2 hands |
| HIP | Rotation | 2 DOF | ||
| LEGS | Crotch joint (Forward/Backward, Left/Right Rotation) | 3 DOF | ||
| Knee joints (Forward/Backward) | 1 DOF | |||
| Ankle joints (Forward/Backward, Left/Right Rotation) | 12 DOF | = | 6 DOF x 2 legs | |
| TOTAL | 57 DOF | |||
References
| [1] | Honda, “asimo.honda.com,” Honda, [Online]. Available: http://asimo.honda.com/images/im_specschart.jpg. [Accessed 18 11 2016]. |
| [2] | Honda, “http://asimo.honda.com/asimo-specs/,” Honda, [Online]. Available: http://asimo.honda.com/asimo-specs/. [Accessed 18 11 2016]. |
| [3] | S. Y. Okita, “The 18th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication,” in Learning Together: ASIMO Developing an Interactive Learning Partnership with Children, Toyama, Japan, 2009. |
| [4] | Honda, “http://asimo.honda.com/asimo-history/,” Honda, [Online]. Available: http://asimo.honda.com/asimo-history/. [Accesed 18 112016]. |
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