| Officially, the name ASIMO is an acronym
for "Advanced Step in Innovative MObility". The idea
of ASIMO Honda Humanoid robot began in 1986. The goal
was to create an intelligent robot that could get around
in a human world, complete with stairs, carpeting and
other tough terrain. |
| The ASIMO humanoid
robot has 26 Degrees of Freedom that help it walk and
perform tasks much like a human. One Degree of Freedom
is the ability to move right and left or up and down.
These degrees of freedom act much like human joints
for optimum movement and flexibility. ASIMO has two
Degrees of Freedom on its neck, six on each arm and
six on each leg. Lightweight materials, like a magnesium
alloy structure, combined with powerful computers in
its backpack and 26 servo motors throughout its body
help ASIMO walk and move smoothly with ease.
Detail
Information on ASIMO Robot >>
|
|
|
QRIO ("Quest for cuRIOsity", originally
started as Sony Dream Robot or SDR). Its features and capabilities
are comparable to Honda's Asimo. Similarly, QRIO can walk
on two feet and dance dynamically. QRIO is designed to walk
on an uneven surface through the use of a wide range of
sensors to detect changes in the walking surface and respond
accordingly. If it is pushed by someone, QRIO will take
a step in the direction it was pushed to keep from falling
over. When QRIO determines that its actions will not prevent
a fall, it instinctively sticks out its arms, swivels its
hips, and assumes an impact position. In this way it lessens
the shock of the fall. QRIO is also programmed to check
its position after a fall, turn itself face up, and recover
from a variety of prone positions.
When QRIO moves to approach you, it first determines
the best path and then approaches you while avoiding any
obstacles that might be in the way. QRIO use its special
colored markers to create a map of its location. As it moves,
it uses the image of the marker it gathers through its cameras
to calculate its own location and the relative location
of the marker, repeating this calculation over and over
to increase precision. In this way it can detect if the
markers are laid out in a special pattern, or distinguish
one space from another.
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Toyota Motor Corp. coined their humanoid
robots that are being developed as
"partner robots." Toyota wants its
partner robots to have human characteristics, such as being
agile, warm and kind and also intelligent enough to skillfully
operate a variety of devices in the areas of personal assistance,
care for the elderly, manufacturing, and mobility. Furthermore,
since each area requires a special set of skills, Toyota
is promoting the development of three different types of
partner robots (walking, rolling, and mountable), each with
its own areas of expertise.
The following is an overview of the partner robots announced
by Toyota:
|
Walking: The walking model walks on two
legs similar to a person. It is an assistance robot which
is designed to help elderly. |
Rolling: The rolling model zooms along
quickly without taking up much space. Its mobility makes
the robot suitable for manufacturing activities. |
Mountable:
The mountable model is capable
of carrying its passengers almost anywhere they need to
go. |
| In addition to the above technologies, "wire-operation
system", is being developed. The actuators as power sources
are located on its torso, and wires are used to move the
arms and legs. As a result, the weight of the arms and legs
can be reduced, adding limberness and speed to the motion.
|
|
|
|
