Oh! Gizmo

By David Ponce

I love robots. What we see of them today is the embryo of our future mecha-overlords. This particular model for instance, has already learned some martial arts moves. The ‘HRP-2 Promet’ of Kawada Industries is able to perform a little routine of bojutsu (the Art of the Staff)… or perhaps it is the rarer Bonote (the ‘Art? of? the Stick’). I, for one, am unfamiliar with both. And also, that’s not the point.

The Promet is a prototype, designed for

“outside and human/robot cooperative” task experiments. HRP-2P is 154 cm in height and weighs 58 kg including batteries. It has 30 degrees of freedom including two hip-joint axes. The cantilevered crotch joints make it possible to walk in narrow paths. A high density electronics installation made it possible to do away with a bulky “backpack” that usually contains the computers, electronics and batteries of humanoid robots.

The HRP-2P will be used for experiments in walking on uneven terrains, “falling or tipping-over” control, getting-up from fallen positions, etc., that are important basic tasks for humanoid robots involved in human-interactive operations.

[The HRP-2P] VIA [3Yen] And, finally, here’s a link to a page with a ton of pictures and videos.