Page 124 - Modern Robotics Building Versatile Macines

104 Modern Robotics

soon learned that Honda thought
of itself not as a car company
but as a “mobility company.”
Honda was potentially interested
in anything that could move and
do something useful. Although
the company (like so many of
its Japanese competitors) uses
industrial robots on the assem-
bly line, this new effort would
be devoted to developing mobile
robots that could go anywhere
people needed them. In return,
what Honda could learn about
advanced control systems from
Honda chief engineer Masato robotics research would also help
Hirose astonished the robot- it develop “smarter” vehicles to
ics world by unveiling Asimo, a
humanoid robot that could mingle gain an advantage in the highly
with people in everyday situations. competitive auto industry.

Learning to Walk

Working at the Honda’s new Wako Research Center outside Tokyo,
Hirose and his four-person engineering team began with a relatively
simple project: a walking robot that could carry materials from one
part of a factory to another. They started by going to the zoo and
observing how animals such as an ostrich walked. They also worked
with a person who had two artificial legs, observing how he was
able to hike and climb mountains.
Gradually, the researchers were able to identify the key aspects of
walking in general and human locomotion in particular, including
the range of movement for each joint under different conditions, such
as walking on flat ground or climbing stairs. They also designed sen-
sors that could provide the robot with the same sort of information
that humans perceive while they are walking. This includes the inner
ear’s ability to judge speed and changing orientation, as well as the
sensing of joint angles and pressure on the foot.