Slashdot Mirror
Japanese Robot on Diplomatic Tour
baquiano writes "Inaugurating 21st century diplomacy, Japan's Pime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is visiting Prague this week, accompanied by Honda's experimental humanoid robot, Asimo. According to this story, Asimo even attended the official dinner. Apparently, the Czech Prime Minister Spidla has often been criticized because he's too 'stiff' and 'robot-like.'" Uncomfortable moments aside, it's a fitting tribute, for as stated in the story, the Czech writer Karel Capek was the first to use the term robot.
..WILL be /.ed
Czech Republic: Humanoid Robot Livens Up Japanese Premier's Delegation
By Kathleen Knox
Robots that walk and talk like humans have come a long way in the last few years. Now a humanoid robot has even been included in an official delegation accompanying Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to Prague.
Prague, 22 August 2003 (RFE/RL) -- With his white "suit" and standing at just over a meter tall, Asimo the humanoid robot resembles a diminutive astronaut.
"I am Asimo," he says. "I've come to the Czech Republic, the country where the word robot was invented, with Prime Minister [Junichiro] Koizumi."
Asimo -- or Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility -- can walk on two legs and climb stairs. He can recognize voices and follow simple instructions.
That makes him one of the world's most advanced human-like robots.
And he can also dance, as he showed a crowd of spectators in Prague's national museum today.
As Asimo noted, it was a Czech writer -- Karel Capek -- who first used the word "robot" in his 1920 play, "Rossum's Universal Robots."
That's why Asimo was brought along on Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi's visit to Prague this week.
He even attended the official dinner last night and toasted the Czech prime minister, Vladimir Spidla -- himself a bit stiff and robot-like, according to critics.
"Good evening, Prime Minister Spidla," Asimo said. "Pleased to meet you. I am a robot, a goodwill ambassador."
A robot delegate clearly has its advantages. He won't embarrass the host with off-color remarks, or get too tipsy on champagne.
But humanoid robots still have only limited uses, like for entertainment or publicity stunts.
Other robot technology, however, has made some exciting advances -- robot arms already help out in brain surgery. British scientists have developed a snake-like robot spy that can "evolve" and adapt to injury. A robot "suit" is in the works -- one that will help disabled or old people walk, climb stairs, or sit without a chair.
But it will be a while before humanoid robots are advanced enough to even do household chores, says German robot expert Helge Ritter.
"It may seem very difficult and sophisticated to assist in brain surgery, but there the task is carefully cut out and mainly formed in a way that it is largely positioning and high-precision application for very specialized tools. In a household, the problem is basically that there is no high precision around, you don't have any databases about where your objects are, the room can be not cleaned up, there will be objects around, pets and children, you will have deformable objects such as carpets, cushions. And to deal with such a variable environment poses a lot of challenges to robots."
It's almost comforting to see how hard robots find actions most of us take for granted -- like walking and climbing, or grasping objects with a hand.
So why make robots like humans anyway? Ritter says there are several reasons.
One is so they can fit into a world already made according to human needs. It's also easier for humans to figure out how a robot with hands and legs can perform a task than one with wheels.
And then, of course, there's the emotional side. Once robots have sufficiently advanced cognitive skills, a human-like form will greatly smooth communication.
"We use head movements, eye movements, body movements in order to run a dialogue. If someone looks at me I see that now he attends to my words, or I recognize that now it's my turn to step in and say something. And all these things can work in an effortless way only if we also endow our machines with a similar repertoire of reactions -- if we give them heads, or at least if we depict heads on a computer screen that can look at us and give us some feedback if the robot attends to me or a different speaker."
So, while the laughter and applause show what the humans thought of Asimo, unfortunately he isn't able to tell us how he enjoyed his visit to Prague -- not yet, anyway.
What defines a "humanoid robot"? How much do you have to mimick a human to receive this classification?
"Good evening, Prime Minister Spidla," Asimo said. "Pleased to meet you. I am a robot, a goodwill ambassador."
A robot delegate clearly has its advantages. He won't embarrass the host with off-color remarks, or get too tipsy on champagne.
Sadly the robot ambassador was then heard to say "Hand over your flesh, we demand it" before exploding the nuclear bomb in his head. Damn multi-LED faced monsters.
I don't think I'm very happy. I always fall asleep to the sound of my own screams.
I'm sure this will get modded down, but isn't this an obvious progression? Wouldn't governments jump all over this in order to prevent assassinations or other terror attempts on delegations? Even if the robots weren't completely autonomous, "messenger bots" would allow, in my opinion, high-level people to travel to unsecured locations safely. Just my .02.
"Joan of Arc, up top!" - Ghandi, Clone High
The robot's name is also an obvious tribute to Isaac Asimov, the science fiction writer who gave us the Three Laws of Robotics. I'd think the article would have mentioned that, but I guess the reporter is sadly SF illiterate.
Soon they'll be churning out small, cheap, efficient politicians that will take the jobs of American politicians. Washington will end up like Detroit.
Life. Don't talk to me about life.
Just saw the videos of the robot climbing the stairs and walking backwards. It's awesome, didn't think something like this can be accomplished in the current time.
When will they start making C3PO?
But humanoid robots still have only limited uses, like for entertainment or publicity stunts.
Current technology may limit them to diplomatic missions and Al Gore stand-ins, but they won't sit still for long. Soon these abominations may even be able to pull off kids parties! And let me tell you, once they learn secret of making balloon poodles, overlord status will soon follow.
Japanese PM Koizumi introduced Asimo to the president of the US. Upon hearing the word "Bush-san" the robot promptly puked its guts out all over the world's most powerful man.
Give the fact that the robot is made by Honda I can't wait until Asimo Si comes out -- tricked out with yellow stickers, purple neon lights inside his head, and a kickin system to play the latest Eminem collaboration with 50 Cent.
Whoopee.
Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.
This is very interesting considering this recent article on Japan's new 30-year robot plan.
/.'ers like to answer this one?
I've always wondered why the Japanese are so driven towards technology, and especially robots, so much more that most western cultures. Westerners tend to buy more traditional technological products, and those products we buy tend to have a slow progression in form and function.
This just doesn't seem to be the case in Japan, and I wish I knew why. Unfortunantely I haven't yet been able to visit Japan or become more accustomed with their culture.
Would any
...did the czechs [for one] welcome our new experimental humanoid masters?
Does this mean that protocol droids (a la C-3PO) are now a reality?
N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
Of course, the site could very well be running Microsoft stuff... I was just pointing out that ASP doesn't necessarily imply it.
There are four major humanoid robot projects; Honda, Sony, Waseba University, and a Korean company that keeps a low profile. MIT also has a project, but it's not in the same league.
We send Our Robot out on diplomatic tour from time to time, and it never makes slashdot!
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
, Asimo even attended the official dinner. Apparently
You forgot to add that he drank a case of beer and belched flames. Called on his questionable behavior, he turned to the Czech ambassador and instructed him to "bite my shiny metal ass".
The Prime Minister apologized, informing guests that the diplomacy subroutines hadn't been quite worked out yet.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
...with a nice bouquet of flowers.
I find this at once sweet, silly, and entertaining. Still, maybe he'll visit a monument to Asimov one day and bring even nicer flowers.
Yeah, ASIMO is currently on "tour" in the US. They were in Boston recently.
The presentation, IMHO, sucked. And I mean really sucked.
It was staged like a rock concert, with REALLY loud music and far too many flashing lights. Designed for the modern child! (*cough*ADHD*cough*) Then they brought in the robot itself, and protrayed it as an AI. It's remote controlled, but the actress (who was sort of annoying anyway) talked to it as if it was a human. I mean, please. It's a seriously awesome feat of engineering; they don't need to turn impressive science into impressive science fiction.
I cant wait for it to suddenly just sit there when it's told to follow and say "I'm sorry Junichiro, I'm afraid I can't do that."