It’s
always a privilege to meet the most powerful man on earth, the President of the
United States. It is even a privilege for a robot to meet the Big Man. Asimo,
Honda's bipedal humanoid robot, recently greeted U.S. President Barack Obama at
the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation (known as “Miraikan”) in
Tokyo, Japan.
According
to a company statement, Asimo greeted President Obama in English by saying,
“Mr. President, I am Asimo, a humanoid robot. It is a pleasure to meet
you.” The robot then demonstrated some
of its signature moves including running, kicking a ball and jumping.
Honda
is conducting robotics research for the purpose of creating robots that help
people while coexisting with people in society. The intelligent robot also
expressed its future goal to President Obama, “I keep training every day so
that someday in the future I can help people in their homes.”
Since
its introduction in 2000, Asimo has met a number of VIPs from other countries.
However, this was the first time for the robot with the U.S. President. Earlier in the month, Honda had
showcased the newest version of Asimo for the first time in North America,
featuring the latest innovations, including the ability to communicate in sign
language and to climb stairs without stopping.
ASIMO,
which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, was first introduced 14
years ago. Since then, Honda engineers have continued making significant
advances including physical improvements such as running and hopping on one
leg, improvements to Asimo’s dexterity, as well as other advancements that have
furthered the company's dream of creating a humanoid robot that can provide
assistance for society.
"This
is an exciting project for Honda," said Satoshi Shigemi, senior chief
engineer of Honda R&D Co., Ltd. and the leader of Honda's humanoid robotics
program. "Our engineers are working tirelessly to develop new technologies
aimed at helping Asimo work in a real world environment."
Source: Honda Picture courtesy: Pool / The Asahi Shimbun /
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