Toyota vs. Honda: Humanoid Robots Square Off

Does anyone know why Japanese car makers are obsessed with building human-like robots? Maybe it's a cultural thing. In any event, Toyota claims to have built a robot that can run at a top speed of about 4.3 miles per hour. According to a post at an artificial intelligence blog, that is fast enough to beat the metal pants off Honda's 3.7 MPH ASIMO.

The two Japanese car makers often are compared to one another and compete head-on (think Camry vs. Accord), but I had no idea that humanoid robotics was such an important part of this gamesmanship.

Another trick up Toyota's sleeve is a balancing mechanism. The Toyota droid may weeble and wobble, but it won't fall down even when pushed, as this video demonstrates:

Toyota unveiled its "Partner Robots" project more than five years ago to help take care of disabled and elderly people, as well as to be put to use in manufacturing. And as you can see from the photo, they apparently also play the violin. Honda got a much earlier start in the robot race when it introduced ASIMO in 1986 — but now with a faster competitor clanking along, perhaps we'll see a swifter (and more musically inclined?) ASIMO before too long.

I don't know about you, but I'd feel much comfortable knowing I could outrun any robots that break free from their human masters and go rogue.

Image courtesy of yoheiwakita, via Creative Commons.