I have a treat for you today!! I know I said I would finish my coverage of the the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, and in a way this is a a part of that. When I went to the Tokyo Motor Show 2012, I got an unexpected surprise at the Honda showcase area. Just after one of Honda’s cool, yet upbeat presentations, I saw a little man, with a funny/cute walk, come to the stage. Upon closer inspection I realized that it wasn’t a man at all but ASIMO, Honda’s (dare I say the world’s?) most advanced humanoid robot. I have seen this robot on television specials in the U.S.. I’ve seen him run, dance, learn, imitate, and do all kinds of cool things. Little did I know that on this particular day, I was going to get to see the the actual robot in the flesh (wait, should I say “in the circuits” for robots?). When I say up close and personal, I mean it. I happened to stand right at center stage, and the majority of Asimo’s speech happened right in front of me. I didn’t do it, but had I wanted to, I could literally reach and touch the robot; he was literally about three feet in front of me. It may seem a little nerdy (can’t deny what I am) but I was SO excited. Asimo gave a presentation about Honda’s latest N-Concept compact cars. The way he was able to navigate the stage autonomously, do sign-language, and engage the audience, made him seem so human. Simply put, I was impressed. This is what I saw:

Asimo was doing sign language and gestures throughout the N Concept Series presntation

Another shot of, in my humble opinion, the most advance AI technology in the world today.

I was close enough to look Asimo right in the robot eyes!

My favorite picture of Asimo. He kind of looks like a superhero here.

More Asimo gestures. I was surprised at how much control he had over his arms and hands. I've never seen anything like it.

Asimo waving to the audience at the Tokyo 2011 Motor Show.

I know this is pretty random, but you know one thing I like about Honda? I remember they used the 'Neverending Story' music as their theme at one point.

Seeing Asimo, makes me wonder just how close we are to artificial intelligence becoming standard consumer products. With everything he can do, I bet ASIMO would be incredibly useful around the house, or a great Japanese teacher. Sigh…someday.

What functions do you think artificial intelligence will have in the future. Brownie points to the person who comes up with the most creative idea 😉 .

Donald Ash

P.S.-If I fall in love with a robot, does that make me some kind of pervert? Hmm…I wouldn’t say I’m a pervert per se, I just want HONDA to make a female ASIMO for me to have robo-african-american babies with…is that so wrong? Yeah, okay…it is. LOL

P.P.S.-Oh one last random thing. If you’re ever talking about Asimo in Japanese, it’s pronounced like ASHIMO (the whole Japanese phonetics thing). When I was saying ASIMO, people seemed to have a hard time understanding me. Yes, I know that’s what’s written on the robot, but English and Japanese sounds don’t always match up.

See you tomorrow!