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Product category: Embedded Software and Operating Systems
News Release from: Wind River Systems
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 24 June 2002

Humanoid robot makes "cool" use of RTOS

Wind River has presented the Honda Motor with a "Cool Customer Design" award for its ASIMO humanoid robot

ASIMO is a two-legged walking robot, capable of assisting humans by completing complex tasks. Honda, known for successful and innovative motorcycles, cars and other power products, first began examining the principals of two-legged robotic locomotion in 1986, and in 1989 decided to rely on operating system software from Wind River as the heart of their robot projects.

ASIMO, short for advanced step in innovative mobility, is the latest in a series of Honda robots to use the VxWorks operating system.

"We've been with the VxWorks from the beginning", said Toru Takenaka, Honda's Chief Engineer for the ASIMO project.

"With VxWorks, it was easier to operate it this way".

ASIMO is able to process and complete multiple tasks in real time, thanks to the robust reliability of the Wind River operating system.

"In the program at any given time more than ten tasks are running and if you include all of the programs, there should be something like some hundreds of thousands of commands in it", said Takenaka.

"For instance, a task to take control of leg balance and task to operate arms and also the wireless communication with external systems.

Also, there is communication between the motors that actually move joints".

Wind River chairman and cofounder Jerry Fiddler has witnessed the progress of the ASIMO robot.

"I was amazed by how cool it was", said Fiddler.

"You see the thing standing there and it's not until it starts moving that you realise just how remarkable a piece of equipment this is.

I think the thing that surprised me most about it was its balance and what Honda has done is to really centre the whole operation of the thing around balance.

When you look at it and see how it moves and how it reacts, it's uncanny".

ASIMO stands four feet high, and weighs approximately 115 pounds.

The robot is able to walk, wave, grasp and lift on its own, without human assistance.

Power is provided by internal nickel-zinc batteries.

Brushless servomotors perform the functions of human muscles, flexing and rotating the various upper and lower body joints.

The body of ASIMO is made of a tough, lightweight magnesium alloy.

Honda envisions ASIMO as a something to assist human society in our daily lives, freeing us to become more innovative and expressive.

"I'd like to create a robot so that human beings, with the robot, would become more creative, more lively and vigorous", said Takenaka.

"The humanoid robot and human beings, they can interact and they can come in touch in different ways so that people can become more creative".

Takenaka can imagine a world where ASIMO robots help men and women with basic housework and home maintenance.

"Yes, we have plans to deploy the robots in that situation, and I think it will take another dozen years until the robots will be used at home", said Takaneka.

"Until then there will be some use in the public areas, such as the robots working as a guide at the museums or robots working as a body guard to some persons.

Or could be used in the dangerous situations instead of human beings actually being there".

Fiddler can see an immediate need for ASIMO.

"I can imagine a lot of applications where you'd want to use a robot where you wouldn't want to use a person because the environment is hazardous, because it's doing something that is either extremely boring or requires a lot of patience that human beings aren't very good at.

So I can imagine it doing those kinds of tasks fairly soon, actually".

While ASIMO may be surprising, Honda's use of the VxWorks operating system is not.

"We've been in robots for a long time.

We were in industrial robots of all kinds so it doesn't surprise me to see the product in robots", said Fiddler.

"I think what has surprised me is I wasn't sure that all of the technology existed to make a robot this sophisticated.

I've always been confident that when they were built they would use our software but when you see it, it's truly surprising".

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