(U-WIRE) COLUMBUS, Ohio – Honda’s humanoid robot ASIMO came to Ohio State Thursday showcasing the product of dreaming, hard work and science.
ASIMO, short for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, is Honda’s latest humanoid robot. ASIMO evolved from a 19-year lineage and entertained a crowd of collegiate, middle and high school students.
“ASIMO was awesome,” said Libby Brannon, a sophomore in materials science and engineering. “I want to change my major to mechanical engineering now so that I can work on robotics. It was simply amazing.”
ASIMO, which has a childlike design, stands four feet tall and weighs 115 pounds. The robot’s movements are modeled after human motion and are controlled by 26 motors that allow it to walk forward, backward and side to side, on curved paths and up stairs.
The multimillion-dollar humanoid has been designed for more than just putting on demonstrations of Honda engineering. It is a member of the Robot Hall Of Fame and has met multiple foreign leaders.
In robots such as ASIMO, a set of computer instructions enables the machine to make primary decisions on its own. ASIMO has also “learned” how to smoothly navigate the easiest path between two points. Though it has independent motion, the instructions are inputted from a wireless laptop computer.