 Honda Motor's new humanoid robot Asimo, which can run at a speed of 6kph and also in a circular pattern, walks with a Honda employee at the company's headquarters in Tokyo 13 December 2005. The 1.3m tall, 54kg ASIMO achieves the ability to act in sync with people and will debut as an office aid to carry drink service for guests. AFP photo by Yoshikazu Tsuno. |
Tokyo (AFP) Dec 13, 2005
Japan's celebrity robot, ASIMO, shifted from curiosity value to practical use on Tuesday with the world's first walking humanoid set to make its office debut next year as a receptionist.
The latest ASIMO prototype unveiled in Tokyo can guide guests to a meeting room, serve coffee on a tray and push a cart with a load of up to 10 kilograms (22 pounds), its creator Honda Motor said.
The cutting-edge robot, which resembles a child in a white astronaut suit, has doubled its running speed to six kilometers (3.7 miles) per hour and can now run in a circle and zigzag.
"The level of ASIMO's capability was just good enough to entertain people on the stage in the past, but the new ASIMO can work at places closer to us," said Satoshi Shigemi, a Honda official in charge of the robot's development.
"The new ASIMO can perform the task of a receptionist or information guide automatically," Shigemi told a news conference. "Honda is aiming to create a humanoid robot that can help people and live together with people."