Honda has presented a prototype of a humanoid robot that should be deployable in the future after disasters such as the one at the Japanese nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
The company presented a paper about the robot at a robot conference in Vancouver, IEEE Spectrum reports.
Honda has been working on the robot for several years, which should be very flexible. A video demonstrates how the E2-DR robot can, among other things, climb a ladder and move through small spaces.
Battery
The E2-DR is 1.68 meters high and weighs 85 kilograms. It can run independently for 90 minutes on its battery, at a maximum speed of four kilometers per hour.
To facilitate complex maneuvers, the robot can rotate its torso 180 degrees so that the knees point back. This helps, among other things, with climbing stairs.
Communication
Although the Honda robot does not require a power cable, it is not completely wireless. The device is still connected with a fiber optic cable to enable communication.
He ‘looks’ through a camera and two rotating lasers, which are incorporated in the robot’s head. Also in the hands are 3D sensors and cameras to accurately grasp objects. The robot works in temperatures from -10 to +40 degrees Celsius and is waterproof and dustproof.
The E2-DR is still a prototype. It is unclear if and when Honda plans to bring a variant to the market.
Image: Honda R&D