Happy 9th Birthday Asimo!
Asimo turned 9 on October 31st 2009, and is one step closer to hitting double digits. Honda spared no expense in creating a brew-ha-ha for the Birthday…Boy? Girl? Does Asimo even have/need a gender? Regardless of how ASIMO identifies, Honda’s celebration included guest appearances by Akira & Spike Speigel …I mean Ketch and Hiro-pon, (it’s pronounced Hero Poon, insert joke here) members of the Japanese pantomime group Gamarjobat. Don’t forget the birthday cake! Milton, make sure everyone gets a piece.
Asimo was one of Honda’s first robotic ventures, hitting the scene in 2000 with a blank face plate and an almost human wave to the crowd. When introduced, the public learned ASIMO stood for “Advanced Step in Innovative MObility” – and was the youngest sibling in a line up for a dozen prototypes constructed in the 1980′s & 1990′s.
Asimo/ASIMO is on of Honda’s most parodied experiments. The suit has been made into many a Halloween costume, and even South Park took a dig at the Japanese creation with Cartman’s “AWESOM-O”.
It hasn’t been all success for little Asimo, as the tough robo buddy has taken a spill or two. Luckily, robots do not suffer from pride, embarrassment, or failure. Asimo has kept getting back up on its feet to do a little dance & make a little…well whatever it is robots do in their private time.
With failure comes a lesson, and usually is followed by success! Asimo is rounding the bases to the big 1-0, and even inspired a cluster of offspring based off Honda research, including Honda U3-X and Honda Legs.
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