Men and Machines

Advanced Step In Innovative Mobility (Asimo) is one of the few robots that can walk reliably on two legs. It is equipped with twin cameras in the head and is powered by 34 individual engines.

Lately, researchers at the Honda Research Institute have demonstrated the invention by using it to move the arms and legs of an Asimo humanoid robot. Honda hopes that by 2020 the robot will be on the market, affordable and capable enough, to help with simple tasks. An elaborate electronic helmet will allow the user to control a robot with only thought.

The person wearing the helmet only has to think about performing the movement. Its inventors hope that one day mind control technology will allow people to do things like turn the air conditioning on or off and open the trunk of the car while still shopping.

The helmet combines two different techniques to capture activity in the brain. Sensors in the helmet detect electrical signals through the scalp in the same way as a standard EEG. The scientists combined this with another technique called near-infrared spectroscopy, which can be used to monitor changes in blood flow in the brain.

The brain activity captured by the helmet is sent to a computer, which uses software to determine what movement the person is thinking about. Then it sends a signal to the robot ordering it to perform the move. It usually takes a few seconds for the thought to turn into a robotic action. This is considered a milestone in the science of robotics.

Lately, researchers at the Honda Research Institute have demonstrated the invention by using it to move the arms and legs of an Asimo humanoid robot. Honda hopes that by 2020 the robot will be on the market, affordable and capable enough, to help with simple tasks.