The Ars Electronica Futurelab and Honda R&D worked together to research the next generation of the relationship between humans and robots – with the humanoid robot Honda ASIMO at the center.
From industrial robots supporting the production process to humanoid robots, many researchers explore the range of possibilities for robots. In the 2000s, robot technologies were mainly integrated into information technology, and it was foreseeable how the robotization of physical space was emerging. Therefore, the applied research contained important questions, such as how will we integrate technologies like the humanoid robot ASIMO into our daily life, and how we can influence human acceptance and coexistence.
ASIMO and Ars Electronica guys Foto: rubra
ASIMO in Deep Space Foto: rubra
ASIMO and members of Honda and Ars Electronica Foto: rubra
Honda’s humanoid robot ASIMO Foto: Honda
In 2010 Honda’s leading-edge humanoid robot ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) made its public debut in Austria at that year’s Ars Electronica Festival. To enable ASIMO to walk, Honda engineers studied the complexly coordinated movements of human beings. ASIMO’s size and design were calculated to enable it to optimally interact in a human environment. A program developed especially for the Ars Electronica Center by Honda engineers and the Ars Electronica Futurelab staff provided ASIMO with plenty of opportunities to show off its wide array of robotic skill.
Credits
Ars Electronica Futurelab: Christopher Lindinger, Hideaki Ogawa, Roland Haring, Horst Hörtner, Katharina Nussbaumer, Otto Naderer, Benjamin Mayr, Florian Berger, Emiko Ogawa, Bernhard Böhm, Andreas Jalsovec, Michael Mayr
PARTNER: Honda R&D