Toyota Humanoid Robot Gives Asimo a Run For Its Money

via Gizmodo by Jack Loftus on 8/2/09

Shown here is Toyota's running robot. At 7 km/h it's not going to win any wind sprints in the Olympics, but nevertheless this thing is airborne for 100ms between strides as it skirts across the floor (i.e. genuine running).

For comparison's sake, Honda's ASIMO robot can only manage a meager 6 km/h. We assume Toyota was able to squeeze the extra kilometer per hour out of their robot with a strict training regimen and what can only be described as a mild dose of physical abuse�their robot can re-balance itself when pushed lightly, as you can see in the video.

Asimo controlled by a human mind

via�Kirainet.com - A geek in Japan�by kirai on 4/6/09

I met Asimo�five years ago�and he became my favorite robot. Asimo is not new, what is new is an BMI (Brain Machine Interface) made by�Honda and Shimazu Corporation�that allows humans to control the robots movements just by thinking about it.

BMI (Brain Machine Interface) are not new,�in fact there are already some �affordable� products on sale�that facilitate the control of certain computer functions just by thinking about them. What is new about the Honda system is the combination of Electroencephalography (EEG) and �near-infrared spectroscopy� together. It is the first time both techniques are used together.

The EEG analyzes electric potential changes on the skull surface, and the near-infrared spectroscopy extracts data about how the blood is moving inside the brain. Combining both sources of information gives the system enough robustness to be able to move Asimo�s hands and legs just by thinking about it and the accuracy is higher than 90%!

Sources:�Pinktentacle�&�Honda.