Robots that Understand

Researchers at the Center of Excellence Cognitive Interaction Technology, CITEC, University of Bielefeld, Germany, have a vision of technology that understands. Future machines should be orientated towards people instead of - as hitherto – visa versa. From everyday appliances to robots. Prerequisites are the natural interaction with people and the flexibility of machines so that they can adjust their features to changing conditions, whereas the research of Cognitive Interaction Technology is the necessary pioneer work. A key of this is the search for the fundamental architectural principles of cognitive man-machine interaction.

The Research Institute for Cognition and Robotics, Cor-Lab, is a central institute at Bielefeld University, which realizes progress in human-machine interaction in close cooperation with industrial partners. It hosts a graduate school in cognition and robotics and further projects in this domain, like e.g. the EU project ITALK. This research at Bielefeld University has also convinced representatives of the Honda Research Institute Europe GmbH to support the CoR-Lab's graduate school in joint projects and to provide research grants for PhD students and young postdocs. An important cornerstone of the cooperation are the two ASIMO humanoid robots, which Honda supplies for innovative research projects in the CoR-Lab. CoR-Lab and CITEC cooperate closely in the domains of robotics oriented cognitive research and within their graduate schools in the form of joint programs.

Asimo at AEC

Honda’s humanoid robot ASIMO will makes its public debut in Austria at this year's Ars Electronica Festival. September 2-8 in Linz, festival visitors will have the opportunity to experience an impressive demonstration of ASIMO’s extraordinary capabilities at Deep Space in the Ars Electronica Center.

ASIMO will perform “Deep Symphony”, a project developed jointly by researchers and artists at the Ars Electronica Futurelab and Honda’s R&D people. This application enables visitors of the Deep Space, to interactively explore an audiovisual environment together with ASIMO.

Living with Robots

Japanese Honda has launched a new video called "Living with Robots" promoting robotics and its research efforts to develop humanoid robot ASIMO.

The video includes visionary statements of Honda´s Yasuhisa Arai, Director, Cief Operationg Officer, Honda R&D Fundamental Research Center and Executive Chief Engineer Masato Hirose.

Other researchers making robotics comments are Wendel Wallach, Chair,. Technology & Ethics Research Group, Yale University Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, Carol A. Otis, P.T., Ph.D. Professor, Dept. of Physical Therapy, Arcadia University, V.A. Subramanian, M.D. Chairman, Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Lenox Hill Hospital and Robin R. Murphy, Ph.D. Director, Center for Robot Assisted Search & Rescue, Texas A&M University.

Honda U3X Personal Unicycle

Honda's new "personal mobility" device looks like a unicycle, but all you need to do to zip around on it — sideways as well as forward and back — is lean your weight into the direction you want to go.

Robot assisted walking for workers and elderly

The need for assisting technology is expected to grow in Japan, which has one of the most rapidly aging societies in the world. Three japanese companies are leading the development of robot assisted walkers, Honda, Toyota and Cyberdyne.

Ambient Assisted Living: Robot assisted walking for workers and elderly

Walking Assist Device for Elderly

Honda Motor Co has developed a prototype of a walking assist device (WAD) for supporting the elderly and others with weakened leg muscles. The device is designed to be worn with a belt around the hips and thighs. It is equipped with sensors for measuring the hip angle so that optimal assistance will be provided from the motors around the thighs. The device helps lengthen the user’s stride and facilitates walking. WAD is based on the company’s ASIMO humanoid robot technology and available in three sizes. WAD uses brushless DC motors powered by lithium ion batteries that allow up to two hours of walking assistance per charge.

WAD was presented at Barrier Free 2008, International Trade Fair on Barrier Free Equipments & Rehabilitation for the Elderly & the Disabled, in Osaka in April 2008.

Asimo robots invade Germany

The University of Bielefeld has opened up a new research Institute for cognition and robotics (CoR Lab). Interdisciplinary research groups at the lab will be working on the development of robots with cognitive and social abilities that will make them suitable assistants for people in everyday life.
As a partner of the lab, Honda of Japan has provided researchers in Germany with two humanoid Asimo robots complete with software. The CoR Lab is thus the first university in Europe that can play around with Honda's high-tech robots for research.
The CoR Lab gets part of its funding from the Ministry of Innovation, Science, Research, and Technology in the German state of North Rhine/Westphalia, which has provided 1.1 million euros for the establishment of the Institute. The lab will mainly be focusing on research in the fields of artificial perception, computer site, and neural motion control.