Japan’s Honda automaker has displayed a new version of its humanoid robot. The astronaut-looking new ASIMO will substitute humans in conditions that pose a dire risk to human health, like those at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The robot is 130 cm tall, weighs 48 kg and can walk at a speed of 9 km per hour, surmounting obstacles, changing directions, balancing on shaky surfaces and performing various movements. ASIMO can do sophisticated work with its manipulator arms and it can also communicate with people using gestures.
