Honda Produces Short Documentary About Its Work With Robots

I’ve just discovered today that Honda has a short film series about a variety of cool topics, created by award-winning documentarians. Of the most interest to me and this audience, of course, is probably the fantastic little short “Living With Robots”.

This short is directed by Joe Berlinger, who’s done quite a few interesting works, including Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, and Iconoclasts.

The focus of the piece is a pretty fascinating look at Honda’s work in robotics, in particular, its issues and research in producing a robot that walks. But it goes beyond that into exploring how to get humans to be comfortable living and working with robots in their day to day lives — especially when it comes to overcoming the “creepiness” factor.

You can check out the video below. It’s about 9 minutes, but it’s well worth your time:

Source;
http://blogs.forbes.com/alexknapp/2011/04/10/honda-produces-short-documentary-about-its-work-with-robots/

Honda makes short film on robots

I will use any excuse to post this picture....
Instead of cranking out a few more commercials, Honda is taking a different approach. It's making short films about some pretty interesting, and varied, topics.

The one about robots is especially well done. It's basic message: Robots are here to help us, says the company that brought you Asimo, pictured above. We have nothing to fear. There. If robots take over the world, blame Honda.

The goal of the films, a far longer format than any ad, was "telling the story we are already telling within the walls of Honda," said Barbara Ponce, Honda's U.S. ad chief. Doing it through short films works because "there wasn't enough time to tell the story and it wasn't breaking through in the 30-second spots."

Source;
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/11/honda-makes-short-film-on-robots/1

Honda’s Asimo Celebrates 10th Bipedal Anniversary

It’ll be ten years on the 31st of October since the day Honda Motor Company’s bipedal Asimo first successfully walked on his own two legs, and Honda plans to celebrate that special day with several events: Honda are creating a large collage and are soliciting submissions of photographs of people with Asimo or other Honda products, or drawings of Asimo; the Honda Welcome Plaza in Aoyama, Tokyo will have a five-day “Asimo Special Week” with demonstrations, conferences with the design team, and handshake events (like booksigning events in bookstores, except with robotic handshakes); and Honda will release an app called “Run with ASIMO” for smartphones (no details on which platform or platforms) which will let users ‘grow’ their own Asimos (by counting steps like a pedometer) and race Asimos between two smartphone users.

Source;
http://en.akihabaranews.com/67667/robot/hondas-asimo-celebrates-10th-bipedal-anniversary