Robot teaches tricks
2005-04-07 10:02
Tokyo - A walking childlike robot from Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co is entering classrooms to help teachers demonstrate the wonders of science.
The 130-centimetre, bubble-headed robot named Asimo has already shown it can jog, walk up stairs, wave, avoid obstacles and carry on simple conversations. It has worked as a guide in showrooms and visited schools as Honda's ambassador.
But this is the first time it's being used in science classes as part of the official school curriculum, Honda said.
In a demonstration for reporters at a Tokyo museum on Wednesday, a teacher explained to students how the robot has sensors inside its body to maintain balance, and the robot displayed how it can keep its balance by tilting its body while standing on a swaying platform. A wooden figure standing next to it collapsed.
The teacher also explained to students that weight is transferred from the heel to the toe when a person walks, and moved the robot in slow motion to demonstrate.
Asimo, which is similar to the Japanese word for "foot", will help teach thousands of students at elementary and junior high schools who visit science centres in two Japanese cities as part of their education, Honda and city officials said.
"Adults must work harder to make learning about science more interesting for children," said Mamoru Mohri, an astronaut who heads the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo.
Honda has been working with the museum for three years to arrange for Asimo to take part in science classes, said Kiyotaka Tanaka, a Honda official overseeing the robot project.
- AP