JAKARTA - Humanoid robot ASIMO Honda Motor Co. retired on Thursday, ending a 20-year career wowing the public with a walking demonstration, or dancing in a showroom at the automaker's Tokyo headquarters.
Since his debut in 2000, Asimo has become a symbol of Japan's pioneering robot technology, mastering the ability to run, jump on one leg, speak sign language using five fingers to pour coffee into a paper cup from a tumbler.
However, Honda halted all development of the ASIMO in recent years following its last upgrade in 2011, to give it the ability to make autonomous decisions such as avoiding bumping into someone while walking.
In September last year, the Japanese automaker announced plans to develop a robot avatar, which would allow users to operate it virtually from remote locations. The new robot will be equipped with a multi-finger hand and a native remote control function powered by AI (artificial intelligence), the company said, launching Kyodo News March 27.
Ahead of Asimo's final appearance, fans including parents with children visited a Honda showroom, to meet and say goodbye to a child-sized robot that looked like it was wearing a space suit.
However, Honda has said it will continue selling ASIMO items after the robot retires, keeping the character active. It is known, ASIMO stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility.
Asimo has also shown his human-like abilities overseas. In 2002, the year marking the 25th anniversary of Honda's listing on the New York Stock Exchange, ASIMO rang the stock market bell to open the trading session.
In 2014, when US President Barack Obama visited Japan, the two-legged robot greeted him in English and demonstrated movements, including kicking a ball and jumping at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo.
Since then, the robot has demonstrated its human-like abilities at science museums as well as in Honda showrooms.
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