User:Chunbum Park/Sub/Sandbox

The account of this former contributor was not re-activated after the server upgrade of March 2022.

Prototype development history

Honda's humanoid robot development began in 1986 at the Wako Fundamental Technology Research Center under the lead of Masato Hirose (who is currently the Executive Chief Engineer at Honda R&D).

The E0, the first prototype, was a basic two-legged machine that demonstrated "static walking" by taking a step every 30 seconds. The slow speed of static walking meant that the center of gravity was placed within the soles of the feet as it shifted places between the left and right foot.

Research involved the E1, E2, and E3 prototypes between 1987 and 1991. E1 prototype walked at an improved speed of 0.25 km/h.

"Dynamic walking" was achieved on the E2 prototype by improving the speed to 1.2 km/h. With faster dynamic walking, static balance was intentionally terminated as next steps were taken before the shifting center of gravity could center onto the soles of the feet. The E3 prototype could walk at 3 km/h.

Research continued with the E4, E5, and E6 prototypes between 1991 and 1993. E4 could walk at 4.7 km and was the first prototype to walk on uneven surfaces. Unlike the previous prototypes, the E4 was surefooted and not liable to stumbling as it could recover from a fall by leaning forward its upper body. Falling forward was a deviation from the mainstream theory of the day, which held that falling was a digression from the ideal movement pattern from which the robot had to recover by pressing with its toes.

E5 was the first autonomous locomotion model. It incorporated the three-layered ZMP control system to achieve stable walking even on stairs and slopes.

Prototypes P1, P2, and P3 were the final models that underwent development between 1993 and 1997. P1 was the first man-like model with an upper body. It could turn external electrical and computer switches on and off, grab doorknobs, and pick up and carry things. P2 achieved independent operation with built-in battery and wireless technology. It was able to walk up and down stairs and push carts. P3 was a slenderized version of the P2 with smaller components and reduced weight.