Auto maker Honda on Tuesday unveiled an updated version of its ASIMO robot, which the company said can run faster, recognize faces and voices, and navigate unsteady terrains, among other things.

In a video shown on BBC, ASIMO is shown pushing a drink cart, running across a stage, pouring liquid into a paper cup, and hopping on one leg.

The 4-foot tall ASIMO was developed by the Honda Robotics division, but don't expect to see the helmeted humanoid at your local Best Buy anytime soon. Honda is still perfecting its technology, which it hopes to put to "practical use" in the near future.

That, apparently, includes serving drinks. Its multi-fingered hands have tactile sensors embedded in the palm and on the fingers so ASIMO can "perform tasks with dexterity, such as picking up a glass bottle and twisting off the cap, or holding a soft paper cup to pour a liquid without squishing it."

But to make sure ASIMO doesn't spill your precious cocktails, Honda has focused much of its recent efforts on balance, recognition, and autonomous behavior. For example, ASIMO is equipped with "multiple sensors that are equivalent to the visual, auditory, and tactile senses of a human being" so it can detect someone walking towards it and move accordingly.

Honda also said "coordination between visual and auditory sensors enables ASIMO to simultaneously recognize a face and voice, enabling ASIMO to recognize the voices of multiple people who are speaking simultaneously, which is difficult even for a human being to accomplish."

ASIMO, which weighs about 105 pounds, is apparently quite the athlete; with "strengthened legs" and expanded range of leg movement, it can walk, run, run backward, and hop on one or two legs, as well as walk on an uneven surface.

ASIMO can run approximately 5.5 miles per hour, up from about 3.7 mph in previous iterations.

Honda's robotics efforts date back to 1986 with EO the two-legged robot, which successfully mastered walking by putting one leg in front of another—though it took five seconds between steps. Honda has unveiled nine robots in the last 25 years, with ASIMO making its first debut in 2000.

Source: PCMag

Honda ASIMO Humanoid Robot Pictures

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