Humanoid robots get better, walk, run, hop, and help around the house

Honda, better known for its cars, has just released a new version of its Asimo humanoid robot, as shown below. It can run at a good pace, hop on one foot, and unscrew bottle caps and pour drinks.

While the age-old vision has been that robots would look like humans, there are of course many kinds of robots, from industrial robots through to robot pets. In fact, for most applications, there is no advantage for robots being humanoid. However bi-pedal motion is one of the great advantages, allowing robots not just to walk up steps, but also to move around in uneven territory, which is one of the reasons Honda has suggested Asimo could be used for rescue operations. Walking on two legs is one of humans’ many skills that we take for granted that is in fact very difficult. Technology seems to have advanced to the point where we can say this has been achieved.

Far more important, of course, is that we can now expect to have robot butlers that will pour us drinks and bring them to us wherever we are lounging. That’s really what robotics is all about.