15.02.2002

japantoday > technology

Honda's robot rings opening bell at NYSE

NEW YORK — He's not quite a love machine, but on Valentine's Day the first non-human to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange put as much heart into it as he could.

The four-foot high humanoid named Asimo — a creature from the Honda Motor Co Ltd — stepped up two steps, clapped, then pressed a white hand onto a button, ringing the NYSE's famed opening bell. The mechanical creature made its debut on a day Americans celebrate love and romance and often exchange flowers and sweets.

Asimo was flanked by the warm-blooded chairman of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Grasso, and Honda President and Chief Executive Hiroyuki Yoshino. The figures linked hands and raised them triumphantly after the bell rang through the room.

Traders, accustomed to the parade of bell-ringing dignitaries and famous people, briefly glanced at the balcony above the floor before turning back to their flat-panel displays and order slips. Asimo, its seems, despite his unique place in NYSE history, was not wildly distracting to the frenzied mass.

Asimo's appearance, his first in the United States, also marked Honda's 25-year anniversary as a Big Board stock. Honda in 1977 became the first Japanese carmaker to list on the NYSE and currently is listed on nine stock exchanges around the world.

The robot's name is an acronym for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility. Asimo is word-play in Japanese, meaning "it also has legs."

Asimo is unique because it walks on two legs and can turn, slow or speed up without stopping. The robot currently needs special markers attached to stairs or ramps to tell it to climb, but Honda engineers plan to design technology that would allow the robot to adjust automatically using its own internal sensors.

Engineers also hope the technology could be used for mine- sweeping dangerous regions.

Japanese amusement parks and firms vie to rent the programmable robot as a tour guide — there were more than 40 offers for long-term contracts last year. IBM Japan, for one, has hired the robot as a receptionist.

Asimo follows Sony Corp's introduction of its virtual pet dog Aibo, which can wag its tail and is marketed as a companion. The popular robot dog raised Sony's profile worldwide and spawned a legion of imitators. But Honda has taken the robot craze to another level, creating a creature that can perform some household chores.

"Honda is a tech company and this is a way to showcase our engineering prowess," said John Watts, Honda's east coast manager of public relations. [...]

For the time being, though, robot man Asimo is concentrating on navigating the stairs.

"We practiced all weekend," said Watts. (Reuters News)

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