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| == '''[[ASIMO]]''' ==
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| {{Image|The New ASIMO.jpg|right|300px|The New ASIMO introduced in 2005.}} | | ==Footnotes== |
| '''ASIMO''' (アシモ ''ashimo'') is the world's most advanced [[humanoid]] robot, developed by the [[Japan]]ese company [[Honda]]. The first ASIMO was completed after 15 years of research, and it was officially unveiled on October 31, 2000. The robot resembles a small astronaut wearing a backpack, and is capable of performing a variety of tasks, including running, kicking a ball, walking up and down stairs, and recognizing people by their appearance and voice. The name is short for "'''A'''dvanced '''S'''tep in '''I'''nnovative '''MO'''bility" and is also known as an abbreviation of ''ashita no'' mobility, meaning 'mobility in the future.'<ref name="masatokenichi14">Masato, Hirose and Ogawa Kenichi, 2006. "Honda Humanoid Robots Development." pp. 14</ref> It was named in reference to [[Isaac Asimov]], an American professor and science fiction writer who is credited with coining the term ''robotics'' and proposing the [[Three Laws of Robotics]].
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| == Design concept ==
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| <blockquote>"Following in the steps of Honda motorcycles, cars and power products. Honda has taken up a new challenge in mobility - the development of a two-legged humanoid robot that can walk."<ref name="asimomain">"ASIMO Technology." ''Honda Worldwide''. Honda Motor Co.,Ltd. Web. 24 Aug. 2011. <http://world.honda.com/ASIMO/technology/>.</ref></blockquote>
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| Bipedal movement has been the primary focus of Honda's humanoid robotic research to create general-purpose, intelligent robots that can "coexist and cooperate with [[humans]]",<ref name=" ">Pfeiffer, Friedrich, and Hirochika Inoue, 2007. "Walking: Technology and Biology." pp. 5</ref> since it began in 1986 with the development of the 'E0' prototype. While there existed many different visions of futuristic robots, such as R2-D2 and C-3PO from [[Star Wars]], it was recognized that human-like robots with bipedal mobility are the most ideal for operating and [[human-robot interaction|interacting with humans]] in human surroundings.<ref name="masatokenichi11">Masato, Hirose and Ogawa Kenichi, 2006. "Honda Humanoid Robots Development." pp. 11</ref>
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| Based on this concept, ASIMO's design concerns three main elements, which are human-friendliness, adaptability to the human environment, and engineering feasibility. The robot's height was set at 120 cm (or 130 cm in the case of second-generation ASIMO), which is similar to a child's, as this would be practical both on the engineering aspect (since a smaller and lighter robot is less challenging than an adult-sized robot such as the P2 prototype) and the question of operability in the environment, where light switches are normally located 110 cm from the floor. With less bulk, the robot would be able to move more efficiently in handling obstacles and narrow passages,<ref name="masatokenichi15">Masato, Hirose and Ogawa Kenichi, 2006. "Honda Humanoid Robots Development." pp. 15</ref> and it would also be less overwhelming presence to humans and, in case of accidents, less hazardous.
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| {{Image|ASIMO reservation system.jpg|left|250px|The New ASIMO serving refreshments.}} | |
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| Its humanoid form that is not only functionally but also proportionally similar to the [[human anatomy|human body]] was meant to enhance its human and environment-friendly qualities by allowing it to make gestures and communicate face-to-face, as well as using the stairs or taking seat in a car. Its strikingly minimalist appearance, which lacks a detailed face and toes on its feet, provides fewer moving parts as rooms for error, while being clearly discernible to humans as consisting of a head, torso, arms, hands, legs, and feet. ASIMO being a popular icon, its design has contributed to the conceptual diversity of futuristic robots, based on a very unique design language of modern Japanese aesthetics.<ref name="aestheticsmansfield">Mansfield, Stephen. "Japanese Aesthetics and High-Tech Design." Nov. 2001. ''J@pan Inc''. Japan Inc Communications, Inc. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://www.japaninc.com/article.php?articleID=515>.</ref>
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| Honda has suggested several future uses for robots like the ASIMO, which, despite its impressive list of feats and features, remains an experimental technology demonstrator that needs to operate in controlled, predictable environment. With further advances, ASIMO could be engaged in useful tasks such as elderly care assistance, [[firefighting]], and toxic cleanup.<ref name="asimotechguide18">"ASIMO Technical Guide". pp. 18</ref> At the present, the ASIMO is being leased to companies for receptionist work.<ref name="sakagamietal2478">Sakagami, et al, 2002. ''The Intelligent ASIMO: System Overview and Integration''. pp. 2478</ref>
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| ''[[ASIMO|.... (read more)]]''
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Paramhansa Yogananda circa 1920.
Paramhansa Yogananda (5 Jan 1893–7 Mar 1952) was one of the first Indian teachers from the Hindu spiritual tradition to reside permanently in the West, and in particular, he was the first to teach yoga to Americans. He emphasized the universality of the great religions, and ceaselessly taught that all religions, especially Hinduism and Christianity, were essentially the same in their essence. The primary message of Yogananda was to practice the scientific technique of kriya yoga to be released from all human suffering.
He emigrated from India to the United States in 1920 and eventually founded the Self-Realization Fellowship there in Los Angeles, California. He published his own life story in a book called Autobiography of a Yogi, first published in 1946. In the book, Yogananda provided some details of his personal life, an introduction to yoga, meditation, and philosophy, and accounts of his world travels and encounters with a wide variety of saints and colorful personalities, including Therese Neumann, Mohandas K. Gandhi, Luther Burbank, and Jagadis C. Bose.
Paramhamsa, also spelled Paramahamsa, is a Sanskrit title used for Hindu spiritual teachers who have become enlightened. The title of Paramhansa originates from the legend of the swan. The swan (hansa) is said to have a mythical ability to sip only the milk from a water-and-milk mixture, separating out the more watery part. The spiritual master is likewise said to be able to live in a world like a supreme (param) swan, and only see the divine, instead of all the evil mixed in there too, which the worldly person sees.
Yogananda is considered by his followers and many religious scholars to be a modern avatar.
In 1946, Yogananda published his Autobiography of a Yogi. It has since been translated into 45 languages, and in 1999 was designated one of the "100 Most Important Spiritual Books of the 20th Century" by a panel of spiritual authors convened by Philip Zaleski and HarperCollins publishers.
Awake: The Life of Yogananda is a 2014 documentary about Paramhansa Yogananda, in English with subtitles in seventeen languages. The documentary includes commentary by George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, among others.[1][2]
