Question: How is Asimo the robot so clever?

Susan Skelton answered on 22 Nov 2013:

Good question, dizzy!
Asimo is so smart he’s a bit scary! I don’t think I’d like to meet him on a dark night somewhere!

Asimo was built by the Honda company in Japan and he is the world’s most advanced humanoid robot (a humanoid robot is one that looks and behaves like a human). A massive team of scientists and programmers all working together helped to build Asimo, so a lot of smart people contributed their ideas.

Asimo is the first humanoid robot in the world that can walk by himself and climb stairs. As well as being able to walk just as we do, he can also understand gestures and spoken commands, and recognise voices and faces. Asimo has arms and hands so he can do things like turn on light switches, open doors, carry objects, and push trolleys.

Asimo was designed to be a helper for people – a robot to help around the house, to help old people, or help someone who is confined to a wheelchair or bed. Asimo is 4 feet 3 inches (1.3 metres) high, which is the perfect height to look eye to eye with someone seated in a chair. Honda wanted Asimo to look friendly and non-threatening (personally, I’m not convinced he looks friendly at all!).

Asimo could also do jobs that are too dangerous for humans to do, like going into dangerous areas, disarming bombs, or fighting fires.

The reason Asimo is so smart is because he has a lot of clever computing and wiring inside him. He has lots of sensors to detect light (to see) and sound (to hear). The information that he gets from these sensors is then processed by a computer system (a bit like a brain). He can use the information that he gets from his sensors to make a decision about how to act next. For example, if an old lady tells Asimo that she is thirsty, Asimo can decide to put the kettle on, and then bring her a cup of tea.

I have to say, I wouldn’t mind having Asimo around myself to help out with the housework!