Robotics has made great strides over the past decade, and one of the most impressive mobile specimen is Honda's humanoid ASIMO.
President Obama visited the Tokyo Miraikan Science Expo while in Japan and had a moment to kick a ball around with the robot and see it in action. You can watch their interaction in the video below.
ASIMO stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, and that it is. The robot is quite quick across the floor and can jump, kick a ball and perform a multitude of other tasks. Honda has been developing ASIMO for nearly 14 years, advancing its capabilities significantly over that time. It can walk up a flight of stairs, pour a beverage, and recognize faces. Oh, and it can also talk.
You can hear and see it speaking to Obama in the video, though I'm fairly sure its vocal capabilities do not extend to full-blown intelligent conversation. Its motion is very impressive, however, and it delivered a well-placed kick to the soccer ball that went right to the US president. Obama joked that the robot may be "a little too life-like" for his tastes and that the technology is "scary".
The president also stressed the importance of math and science to the young generation of students, saying they can make greater impacts in the technology field now more than ever.
"Young people like you have more technology and more power than even the greatest innovators of previous generations, so there is no limit to what you can achieve," Obama said.
Enjoy ASIMO in action in the video below, and look forward to the advancements we'll see in the next 14 years.
Via WSJ
