ASIMO “live” at the Ontario Science Centre!

Asimo and Tiffany at the Ontario Science Centre

When I first heard about Asimo, I just thought it was some sort of plastic robot that could walk. But that all changed when I saw Asimo at the Ontario Science Centre.

The Science Centre has always had amazing exhibits such as the “Whales” exhibit and the “Mythical Creatures” exhibit, and now they have invited one of only 20 Asimos in the world to join them for a while.

Asimo (which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative MObility) is the world’s most advanced humanoid robot. A quote from the National Geographic Kids 2011 Almanac says, “Asimo went from looking like a giant toaster with legs to a kid in a white space suit.” I agree; I watched a video about Asimo, and the first prototypes looked like a primitive black fridge on two short telephone poles. But now, Asimo has a 4′ 3″ polished white body with arms that can carry trays and push wheelchairs and legs that can kick a soccer ball into a net. A metallic grey backpack holds his battery, and a black shiny mask covers his eyes – oops, I mean some of the humanoid robot’s amazing sensors.

Asimo’s hands replicate human hands, and his joints replicate human joints. His actions are almost as smooth as a human’s.

Almost 500 people flocked to the Science Centre’s Imperial Oil Theatre to enjoy Asimo’s performance. When the awesome robot first walked in, everyone cheered. I didn’t – I was too busy taking pictures!

Asimo first shook hands and greeted the host, Tiffany. It – I’m tempted to call Asimo “he”, but the hosts insisted on calling the humanoid “it”- showed us some of its dance moves, walked, talked, ran, and even climbed up and down a small flight of stairs. At the end, Asimo waved to all of us, and walked off stage, disappearing behind a set of black curtains. I personally thought that was pretty cool. I’ve never seen a robot do that before – wait; I’ve never seen a real robot before today!

After the show, I interviewed Jerry Chenkin, the Executive Vice President of Honda Canada.

“What are the biggest obstacles between what Asimo can already do and your dreams for him?” I asked.

“It’s a huge investment of time and money,” Mr. Chenkin explained. “Replicating human actions – even something we take for granted, like walking – is very difficult technology to develop.”

According to Mr. Chenkin, Asimo is a learning experience for Honda. All the brilliant programming and technology put into Asimo helps develop innovative features for Honda’s cars, such as the ABS (anti-lock braking system).

A video on Asimo’s website mentions that “most people think of Honda as a car company. But we actually are a mobility company.”

Honda’s goals for Asimo are to help elderly and sick citizens, execute tasks too dangerous for humans, to fight fires, and to help people with their normal chores.

“Is Asimo water and fire-resistant?” I asked.

Mr. Chenkin chuckled. “I don’t know, and I don’t want to find out!”

We both laughed.