Humanoid Robot, Human Robot, Honda Robot, Sony Robot, Toyota Robot, Japanese Robot

What is Humanoid Robot?

A humanoid robot or sometime called android, is a robot that resembles human body. In general, humanoid robot is a robot that walks upright and features two arms, two legs and a head. In the coming decades, we will see humanoid robots possess artificial intelligence. They will eventually become self-aware and conscious, and be able to do anything that a human can. Another relevant term is cyborg, which means it is a humanoid mix of organic and robotic parts.

The Honda ASIMO
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 >>

The Sony QRIO
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 joins robot development race
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.