Robot Legs
publication date: Nov 1, 2008
Honda recently announced the idea of robot legs to assist workers in factories. The Walking Assist device is designed to help people who work standing, or in a crouching position, for a long time. The footage at the site makes it look a bit uncomfortable in a certain part of the demonstrator's anatomy. This is the main drawing from it.
It's difficult to get more details from this, my Patent of the Month, unless you know Japanese. It was published as an international application in February 2008 in Japanese and asked for protection in numerous countries. English translations of the text will eventually appear, but for the time being all we have are brief summaries of the idea.
In fact a summary prepared from the Japanese by an abstractor working for Derwent, a well-known priced database, says that it is meant to help the elderly or disabled to get about. "The walking-aid apparatus has a seating section (1) whose clevis-shaped front end (1b) is formed so as to contact the inguinal region (Q) of user (P). The elasticity modulus of front-back direction of front end of seating section is larger than the elasticity modulus of left-right direction", it says, which leaves me at least none the wiser. The idea, it seems, is that it reduces the burdens on the legs.
The technology almost certainly stems from the Asimo® project, which Honda has been working on since 1986. Asimo® has the same black and white colours, and has been refined so that he can move in a rather cautious, always upright position, including up and down staircases. It has been pointed out that the Daleks in Doctor Who could easily have been defeated as it was merely necessary to put a few steps between them and their quarry, so this robot is definitely an advance. It was hard work to create the ability for a robot to move up and down stairs: the first ever able to do so. You may have seen television advertisements showing Asimo®, looking rather like a short astronaut (130 cm high), moving about. The astronaut idea is brilliant. The "face" is obscured by a visor, so there is no need to provide a look for the face.
It might be thought that Asimo® is named for Isaac Asimov and his laws of robotics, which include robot being prohibited from giving orders to humans. Honda, however, say that Asimo® stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility.
A lot of work has gone into evolving what is really an android, with one hundred international patent applications, with titles like "Legged mobile robot and program control". Its size is big enough for it to reach light switches and so on, yet not so big that materials are wasted or it looks too overwhelming. Powered by a lithium battery, it has a gyroscope and an acceleration sensor. Its fingers can grip, but not too hard to avoid injuries to humans. Many of the innovations involve controlling its gait, footsteps, floor-landing shock and so on, and also software to control how it responds in a given situation, as there is no monitoring of its behaviour. Probably the biggest challenge is telling it what to do in abnormal or dangerous situations - nothing is often the best answer, but not if a fire menaces humans in the area.
Besides its ability to move, Asimo® has capabilities which can be listed in five categories.
The first is using a camera in its head so that it can assess the direction and distance of moving objects. Hence it can follow someone or greet an approaching human.
The second is the ability to interpret the position or movement of a hand so that it can recognize posture and gestures. It will readily shake hands, or will wave back in greeting.
The third is the ability to recognize its environment and take steps to make it safe for itself and for humans. For example, it will avoid hazards such as moving objects.
The fourth is the ability to distinguish sounds and to react accordingly. It will face someone speaking to it, respond accordingly, and will respond to questions, perhaps with a nod or shaking its head rather than speaking.
The fifth is the ability to recognize faces, even when it or the human is moving. One unit can recognize up to ten different faces. They are then addressed by name.
Some may wonder at the purpose behind Asimo®. Japan has the fastest ageing population in the world. Its birth rate is very low, and there is a long life span. Over a quarter of the population is already over 65, and by 2050 it will be a third. The idea is that Asimo® will not just be a companion but also a helper, as there simply won't be enough younger humans around to help.
The mannered, precise way in which it responds to a given situation or command may seem unpleasant to Westerners, but would be well understood in Japanese society, where a predictable response is always expected in a given situation. Perhaps the lack of a face is just as well, thinking of the I, Robot film where things go rather pear-shaped for a time. That is perhaps the biggest challenge for Honda: will people accept that a highly capable robot can be given authority as, say, a carer for aged relatives ? Each experimental model costs over a million dollars to produce, and the cost will clearly have to come down anyway.
It's difficult to get more details from this, my Patent of the Month, unless you know Japanese. It was published as an international application in February 2008 in Japanese and asked for protection in numerous countries. English translations of the text will eventually appear, but for the time being all we have are brief summaries of the idea.
In fact a summary prepared from the Japanese by an abstractor working for Derwent, a well-known priced database, says that it is meant to help the elderly or disabled to get about. "The walking-aid apparatus has a seating section (1) whose clevis-shaped front end (1b) is formed so as to contact the inguinal region (Q) of user (P). The elasticity modulus of front-back direction of front end of seating section is larger than the elasticity modulus of left-right direction", it says, which leaves me at least none the wiser. The idea, it seems, is that it reduces the burdens on the legs.
The technology almost certainly stems from the Asimo® project, which Honda has been working on since 1986. Asimo® has the same black and white colours, and has been refined so that he can move in a rather cautious, always upright position, including up and down staircases. It has been pointed out that the Daleks in Doctor Who could easily have been defeated as it was merely necessary to put a few steps between them and their quarry, so this robot is definitely an advance. It was hard work to create the ability for a robot to move up and down stairs: the first ever able to do so. You may have seen television advertisements showing Asimo®, looking rather like a short astronaut (130 cm high), moving about. The astronaut idea is brilliant. The "face" is obscured by a visor, so there is no need to provide a look for the face.
It might be thought that Asimo® is named for Isaac Asimov and his laws of robotics, which include robot being prohibited from giving orders to humans. Honda, however, say that Asimo® stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility.
A lot of work has gone into evolving what is really an android, with one hundred international patent applications, with titles like "Legged mobile robot and program control". Its size is big enough for it to reach light switches and so on, yet not so big that materials are wasted or it looks too overwhelming. Powered by a lithium battery, it has a gyroscope and an acceleration sensor. Its fingers can grip, but not too hard to avoid injuries to humans. Many of the innovations involve controlling its gait, footsteps, floor-landing shock and so on, and also software to control how it responds in a given situation, as there is no monitoring of its behaviour. Probably the biggest challenge is telling it what to do in abnormal or dangerous situations - nothing is often the best answer, but not if a fire menaces humans in the area.
Besides its ability to move, Asimo® has capabilities which can be listed in five categories.
The first is using a camera in its head so that it can assess the direction and distance of moving objects. Hence it can follow someone or greet an approaching human.
The second is the ability to interpret the position or movement of a hand so that it can recognize posture and gestures. It will readily shake hands, or will wave back in greeting.
The third is the ability to recognize its environment and take steps to make it safe for itself and for humans. For example, it will avoid hazards such as moving objects.
The fourth is the ability to distinguish sounds and to react accordingly. It will face someone speaking to it, respond accordingly, and will respond to questions, perhaps with a nod or shaking its head rather than speaking.
The fifth is the ability to recognize faces, even when it or the human is moving. One unit can recognize up to ten different faces. They are then addressed by name.
Some may wonder at the purpose behind Asimo®. Japan has the fastest ageing population in the world. Its birth rate is very low, and there is a long life span. Over a quarter of the population is already over 65, and by 2050 it will be a third. The idea is that Asimo® will not just be a companion but also a helper, as there simply won't be enough younger humans around to help.
The mannered, precise way in which it responds to a given situation or command may seem unpleasant to Westerners, but would be well understood in Japanese society, where a predictable response is always expected in a given situation. Perhaps the lack of a face is just as well, thinking of the I, Robot film where things go rather pear-shaped for a time. That is perhaps the biggest challenge for Honda: will people accept that a highly capable robot can be given authority as, say, a carer for aged relatives ? Each experimental model costs over a million dollars to produce, and the cost will clearly have to come down anyway.
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