Wired News:: Robots: It's an Art Thing
By Brad King
2:00 a.m. Nov. 12, 2001 PST
Eighty years after they were first introduced to the world, robots and humans now exist side by side. The symbiotic relationship between the two has inspired a new generation of art -- and scientific research -- that examines where people end and machines begin.
As technology continues to permeate life, artistic inspiration has started to come from strange places.
Ian Wilmut, the scientist who cloned the lamb Dolly at the Roslin Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland, inspired San Francisco filmmaker Jeremy Solterbeck's short Moving Illustrations of Machines.
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ZDNet |UK| - News - Story - 'Asimo' robot becomes more human-like
15:37 Monday 12th November 2001
Reuters
Honda's humanoid robot, which can be started up in four minutes, is to be a receptionist at IBM Japan
Honda has refined its human robot "Asimo" to gracefully walk down stairs, respond to human commands and even work like a receptionist -- but without the smile.
The two-legged, 1.2 metre (four-foot) white and silver Asimo, whose Japanese name roughly translates as "legs, even," was on display on Monday, showing off its new skills.
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Although Asimo is not yet available for purchase, many amusement companies have lined up to pay the two million yen per day rental fee to use the humanoid for on-stage chats and tour guides, Honda said.
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thestar.com.my: Business News Japanese automaker Honda shows upgraded walking, talking robot
TOKYO (AP) - Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. on Monday showed an upgraded version of its walking humanoid robot Asimo that can recite programmed phrases and maneuver on stairways better than its predecessors.
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Honda is prepared to rent up to about 10 robots but only in Japan. The latest robot stands 120 centimeters (four feet) tall and weighs 52 kilograms (114 pounds), slightly heavier than the previous model at 43 kilograms (95 pounds).
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