ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility), Honda’s famous humanoid robot, doesn't carry a brain in the biological sense. While it looks like a person in a space suit, it is a feat of engineering rather than biology. But if you wanted a black graduate's brain in the machine, what do you want it for? Would it be free labour because are you white and isn't all of this bookish stuff just what you are interested in? However, calling it "radio controlled" is where the nuance lies. While it can be remotely operated, its real claim to fame is its autonomous physical processing. Click here.

 ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility), Honda’s famous humanoid robot, doesn't carry a brain in the biological sense. While it looks like a person in a space suit, it is a feat of engineering rather than biology. But if you wanted a black graduate's brain in the machine, what do you want it for?  Would it be free labour because are you white and isn't all of this bookish stuff just what you are interested in? 

However, calling it "radio controlled" is where the nuance lies. While it can be remotely operated, its real claim to fame is its autonomous physical processing.

1. No Brain Matter, But Plenty of "Nerves"

Instead of neurons and gray matter, ASIMO uses a complex network of sensors and processors. To walk on two legs—which is incredibly difficult for a machine—it uses:

 * Gait Control: Real-time adjustments to maintain balance, much like our inner ear.

 * Force Sensors: Located in the feet to "feel" the ground.

 * Visual Sensors: Cameras in the head to track moving objects and recognize faces.

2. Is it Radio Controlled?

ASIMO's "intelligence" exists on a spectrum between a puppet and a person:

 * The "Radio" Aspect: For complex tasks or public demonstrations, a human operator often sends high-level commands via a wireless network (PC control). For example, an operator might tell ASIMO, "Walk to point B."

 * The Autonomous Aspect: Once it receives that command, ASIMO doesn't need to be "steered" every inch of the way. It calculates its own step length, adjusts its center of gravity if it trips, and avoids obstacles using its own onboard logic.

3. Intelligence vs. Programming

ASIMO represents Kinetic Intelligence. It isn't "thinking" about philosophy or feeling emotions; it is solving the mathematical problem of gravity in real-time.

In the world of AI, we distinguish between:

 * Biological Intelligence: What you mentioned—human brain matter.

 * Artificial Intelligence (AI): Software that can learn and adapt.

 * Robotics: The physical execution of movements.

ASIMO is a masterpiece of #3, with a little bit of #2 to help it navigate the world.

Since Honda officially retired the ASIMO project in 2022 to focus on more specialized robotics (like disaster relief and avatars), it’s become a bit of a historical icon.

Would you like to explore how modern robots, like Boston Dynamics' Atlas, compare to the way ASIMO used to move?