Technabob » honda

Honda Motor Compo Scooter Screams “I’m Geekier Than You, Segway Guy!”

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 23:30:05 +0000

I am always surprised when the Tokyo Motor Show rolls around each year, as I tend to see as many things that aren’t cars than new cars themselves. Case in point – Honda is showing off a new electric scooter at the show called the Motor Compo. This folding scooter is designed to slip into the back of a small car that Honda was showing at the show as well.

It seems the idea is that the larger car can drive you from home to as close to your destination as possible. If you are the sort that doesn’t like exercise, you could then pop the Motor Compo scooter out of the car, unfold it, and cruise to your final destination. This sort of scooter is a nice last-mile option.

Once you get where you are going you can fold the scooter back up and take it with you. The downside is you will look like a Shriner in a TRON movie riding this thing. I would certainly laugh and point – especially if you wear a electroluminescent fez on your head to complete the look.

The two-wheel scooter is front-wheel drive, and has a built-in smartphone dock, which would also provide information on the bike’s speed and battery levels. At this point, Honda gives no indication of the driving range or charge time for the Motor Compo, or if it will ever come to market.

[via designboom]

Honda’s New ASIMO Robot Shows Off

Conner Flynn — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 22:00:05 +0000

Honda has been busy, and not on new versions of the Civic or Accord. Today, the company has unveiled their new ASIMO robot, improving upon the 10 year-old design. Now ASIMO can kick balls, (hopefully not human male’s) hop on a single leg and it can even predict the direction a person will walk, so that it can avoid collisions with the person.

This new robot also has a much improved intelligence and can adapt to situations. He still can’t sign autographs.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Of course he can still do all of the things that he used to as well, which includes running and stealing the show at whatever events he attends as well as open a thermos and pour a drink. That last should come in handy on Jabba’s Sail Barge, should he ever decide to infiltrate and rescue his friends.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via TechCrunch via Geeky Gadgets]

H-Wing Carfighter is the Star Wars Geek Dream Ride

Shane McGlaun — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 18:47:09 +0000

If you are a geek, be a geek dammit. Just look at this dude named Shawn. He has embraced his inner Star Wars geek and turned his Honda into his own H-Wing Carfighter – and its epic. It’s also so geeky that it hurts a little to view the cars awesomeness.

My favorite part isn’t the custom paint or giant R2-D2 dome on the trunk. My favorite part is the license plate – OBISHWN. Talk about going all-in. The guy behind this car has more photos on his site of this ride than you could look at in one sitting, so be sure to hit the source and peruse, laugh, point, and envy.

The car is geeky enough that it has been in several magazines and on TV including Wired, G4TechTV, Stuff, and many others. This car has been around for a long while, but if you are like me and just discovered it, it’s still cool.

Honda’S Asimo Robot Turns Ten

Shane McGlaun — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:38:11 +0000

I remember the first time I saw the ASMIO robot from Honda. I wondered why a car company was building a robot to begin with. It has now been a decade since the first ASIMO robot hit the stage and Honda is celebrating the occasion.

To celebrate, Honda has some new apps for the iPhone and Android called Run with ASIMO with the robot and other Honda characters that the user can interact with. That app sounds boring to me, but you can check it out for yourself.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Honda also took the time to talk up its goals with ASIMO and the research around it that the company says goes with develop of robotics and human mobility. The robot may someday develop into something that people can buy to provide assistance in the home. This will happen shortly after Honda adds a red dot for an eye that moved Pong-style across a mono brow. Frakin’ A it will.

Osaka Tower Robot Vs Honda Asimo: Fight!

Range — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:44:08 +0000

This image is worth a thousand words: on which robot would you bet your money? My money is on Honda’s Asimo – I’m sure that he’ll kick the tower-bot’s bony ass!

We’ve already posted about this ultra-stupid ‘bot named Tsutenkaku, which was built as some kind of PR stunt for companies in Osaka, Japan. Anyway, during the robot’s initial exhibition, it came close to this humanoid Honda Asimo.

Needless to say, it was a great moment in robot history – or not. Despite his height disadvantage, I have no doubt that when push comes to shove, the scrappy 4th-generation Asimo will wipe the floor with the 1st-generation Tsutenkaku.

[via DVice]

Honda Asimo Robot Gets a Redesign After 13 Years

Range — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:11:39 +0000

You’ve probably seen or heard about this little robot, the Honda Asimo. Well, after 13 years, it was time for a much needed redesign.

This is actually Honda’s 4th version of the robot. The 3rd version was released in 1997, so it took Honda 13 years to do it. I think by now that pretty much everyone has seen video footage of this little robot walking, dancing and entertaining crowds.

This new version has a flexible waist, allowing for a smoother walking style, redesigned chest and shoulder areas. It’s about 5’3″ tall and weighs about half of what the P3 weighed, at 176 lbs. Hopefully it’s less susceptible to falling on its face.

[via PlasticPals]

Giant Asimo at Rose Bowl Parade

Lambert Varias — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:30:29 +0000

Honda’s hand-shaking, stair-climbing, head-bowing, face-not having robot ASIMO has been exposed to Gigantor rays and has been blown up to 12 times it’s size. But don’t expect any Double Blizzards coming out of it: Robert over at GeekAlerts says that Gigantor ASIMO “will be completed with natural materials like lettuce seed, rice, carnations and strawflower.” Yay?

The 49-foot tall Veggie Gigantor Top Hat Asimo will be featured in the 120th Rose Bowl Parade, along with the Prairie View A&M University Marching Band. Since 2008 also marks Honda’s 50th anniversary of US operations, a Honda Super Cub motorcycle (the first model sold in the U.S.) will also parade, and be ignored, alongside ASIMO.

I hope they discover Gundamium soon, because carnations just won’t do.

Robot Web Cam and Asimo: Separated at Birth?

Technabob — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 02:26:28 +0000

This USB robot web cam bears more than a passing resemblance to Honda’s famous little humanoid robot, Asimo.

Unlike Asimo, however, the USB Robot Cam has white LED eyes and red LED ears that illuminate when the lights go down. The VGA camera isn’t anything fancy, but the the design is just cool enough that you don’t really care. It’s just 24 bucks, so you really can’t expect too much in terms of high-end technology.

Besides, anything with LED eyeballs is cool in my book.

When Asimo Freezes, Does He See the Blue Screen of Death?

Technabob — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 23:17:04 +0000

A while back, we showed you a funny clip of Honda’s ASIMO humanoid robot falling on his ASS-IMO trying to climb some stairs. Well the good news is now the little guy seems to be doing fine climbing stairs. The bad news is that he seems to have forgotten what to do after that…

There’s just something inherently funny about hardware that cost millions of dollars to develop, yet fails about as often as that $200 PC you picked up from Wal-Mart.

[via Plastic Bamboo]

Honda Asimo Does a Face Plant

Technabob — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 14:03:14 +0000

Some guy with a cell phone camera recorded this incident at a recent press conference showing off Honda’s Asimo humanoid robot. If you fast-forward the video clip to about 0:59 seconds, you can witness the pratfall:

Watch in horror as the brave little robot attempts to climb the stairs and instead does his best Chevy Chase impression. The best part of the clip is when the stage crew attempts to conceal the lifeless, limp body of the poor little guy. For a moment there, I had flashbacks to the famous Derek Smalls pod sequence in This is Spinal Tap.

[via Digital World Tokyo]