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erhaps the ultimate commercial use for robotics, humanoid machines capable of man’s exact motions, reasoning and reactions is an end-goal for many roboticists. Dreams of having human-like machines to act as servants dates back as far as circa 250 B.C. China. But it was not until the last decade that buying a humanoid has become a viable option. There is still a long way to go until a robot can perform like a human, but here’s where history has lead the technology.
101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 1011110111011101111200101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 Updated ASIMO 110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 1011101111 Building on the company’s 25 years of humanoid re11101110111101 110111011110111011101111011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 101110111 search, Honda recently updated ASIMO, incorporat1111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 ing what the company calls “autonomous behavior control technology,” which will increase the robot’s HOAP-1 011110110111011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 101110111101 autonomy. It also has an expanded range of motion Fujitsu Automation Ltd. introduced a miniature human101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 in its legs and added balancing and control ability. oid, HOAP-1, for research and development use. An 101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 acronym for Humanoid for Open Architecture Plat101111011101110111101 1011101111011011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 10111011110110111011101 form, HOAP-1 came with simulation software that allowed for algorithm development for two-legged 110111101 11011101111011101110111101 10111011110110111011101111011101110111101 0111011101110111101110111011110 walking and human-to-robot communication interfac1101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 1011101111011011101110111101110111011110110100101001000111111 es. The robot, which stood at just one and a half feet 1011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11010001101111011101110111101 10111101 110111011110201111101110111101 tall, had joints with 20 degrees of freedom. 101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 10111011110110111011101111011101111 0111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 10111011110110111011101 1101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 10111011110110111 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 1011 Robonaut 2 While not a commercial plat1 11011101111011101110111101 110111011110111011111101 12010101111011101110111101 110111011110111011101111011010 form, Robonaut 2 did involve 101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 10111101 the know-how from compa1011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 10111 nies GM and Oceaneering 011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 101110 International. A follow-on to 1997’s Robonaut 1, which 1101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 110111011110111011101111010 never actually made a jour101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 101110111 ney into space, Robonaut 2 1101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 110111011110111011101111010 launched into orbit on a jour11101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 101110 ney to the International Space Station in February 2011. 101 11011101111011101200011101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 The robot, which consists of 1101 11011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 11011011011101111011101110111101 101110111101101110010 a torso, has a 40-pound pay101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 110111011111011101111011101110111101 load 11011101111011101110111101 capacity. It has 350 sen11011101111011101110111101 110111011110111011101111011101110111101 11011101111011101110111101 10110110111011110110 sors and 38 processors that ASIMO aid in its motion. 110110110111011110110110111011110110110111011110110110111011110110110111011110110110111011110 Dubbed “The World’s Most Ad1111011011011101111012005011011101111011011011101111011011011101111011011011101 vanced Humanoid Robot” by Hon1110110110111011110110110111011110110110111011110110110111011110110 da, ASIMO could move its two feet to walk at 3.7 mph, recognize ob11011101111011011011101111011011011101111011011011101111011 jects and interact with humans. Two 011011101111011011011101111011011011101111011011011 camera eyes allow the robot to es1011110110110111011110110110111011110110110 timate distance and direction. With 110111101101101110111101101101110111 REEM-A 26 degrees of freedom, the robot, Made by Spain’s PAL Robotics, the REEM-A humanoid which responds to human speech, 011011011101111011011011101111 had a penchant for pastimes. Designed to play chess stands at 130 centimeters tall 011011011101111110111101 against the Hydra chess engine, the robot also took part (about 4 foot 3 inches) and weighs 0110111011111110111 in the 2006 RoboCup competition in Bremen, Germany. 52 kilograms (115 pounds). 10110110111011 The robot was created for walking, manipulation, speech and vision adaptation. Two more variants of REEM have 110110110 been made since its initial platform. 11
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