10/01/09 — ASIMO research results in world’s first drive system that enables movement in all directions. The device makes use of an incline sensor that detects the incline of the device based on the weight shift of the rider and determines the rider’s intention in terms of the direction and speed. Pursuing the concept of “harmony with people” Honda has developed a new personal mobility technology and unveiled U3-X, a compact experimental device that fits comfortably between the rider’s legs, to provide free movement in all directions just as in human walking – forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally. Honda will continue research…

03/31/09 — Honda has combined two impressive but currently impractical technologies together to allow a human to control its Asimo robot simply by thinking about it. The Brain Machine Interface (BMI) uses a combination of electrical and heat scanners to identify activity in the brain, and sophisticated pattern-identification software to match that activity with specific patterns of thought it can translate into simple commands. As a demonstrator for the interface, one version of Honda’s humanoid Asimo robot was configured to respond to control signals it receives from the BMI setup using a wireless data connection. This BMI is a second for Honda…