Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. separately announced plans to start marketing sophisticated bipedal robots to the public in the early 2010s. In a demonstration Tuesday, Honda's new Asimo showed its ability to make decisions by moving out of the way of an approaching human and also by stepping back to let a person walk in front of it.

The Asimo has also acquired some teamwork capabilities, communicating wirelessly with fellow Asimos and working together in a coordinated way. In the demonstration, one Asimo guided a guest to a table, while its partner brought over a beverage.

Another breakthrough is that the new Asimo can walk to a recharger unit and connect itself before it runs out of electricity.

Its predecessor had to have its battery unit replaced after about 45 minutes. The new Asimo can work continuously by recharging itself whenever required. Toyota, meanwhile, last week unveiled two new versions of its "partner robots," designed to assist people in everyday life.

One is called the Mobiro (Mobility Robot), which can carry a person or cargo at a speed of 6 kph, avoiding obstacles in its way.

It can also follow a person without bumping into the individual.

Toyota plans to make improvements so that, for example, the Mobiro can help elderly people move around in hospitals and nursing care homes.

The auto giant also unveiled a new humanoid that can play violin.

12/13/2007　　asahi.com