People tend to think of ASIMO as a Honda mascot; a cute, harmless looking mechanical man that appears in car commercials and even has its own show at the Disneyland Resort. ASIMO, however, is no robotic Mickey Mouse. What started in 1986 as a pair of legs that took five seconds between steps can now do everything from perform sign language to autonomously detect and avoid obstacles while walking down a busy office hallway.

Videos released last week of the newest ASIMO model look like they’re cut from a science fiction film. The clip below shows it carefully opening a thermos and pouring its contents into a soft paper cup, making careful not to crush it thanks to the tactile sensors in its multi-fingered hands. While we’re nowhere near a robotic Tom Cruise flipping bottles a la Cocktail, the increased dexterity is quite impressive

The new model is also capable of walking on uneven surfaces, hopping on one leg, running 5.6 mph, and recognizing the voices of multiple people even when they’re speaking simultaneously. It’s also a slimmer 106 lbs (down 13 lbs from the last model) and more flexible. So, how did ASIMO reach this point?

(PHOTOS: We Love Robots)

It all started at the Honda R&D Fundamental Technology Research Center in Japan. Researchers were looking to create a robot to help the disabled, thus ASIMO’s short height (4′ 3″), which will hopefully allow it interact naturally with people in wheelchairs or confined to beds.

Jeffrey Smith, project leader for ASIMO in North America from 2000-2007, shed some light on some of the early difficulties in developing the robot, especially with one basic function: walking.

“The very process of standing upright as a human requires constant balance and adjustment,” Smith wrote to Techland in an email. “So it was extremely challenging for Honda’s engineers to develop a machine to mimic the complexities of human walking and balance, and perform something so purely instinctual to humans.”

The Honda R&D team spent several years just studying the walking habits of humans and animals before developing the P2 in 1996, its first bipedal humanoid robot, and the P3 in 1997, which could walk around without any attached wires.

The next big jump was the development of ASIMO in 2000, which could walk freely and climb stairs. ASIMO became more and more advanced—in 2004, it gained the ability to run. In 2005, it could grab and carry things. In 2007, it gained a few autonomous functions, such as the ability to charge itself.

Last week, the latest version was revealed. So, what’s next for ASIMO?

Robot Arena:  Los alumnos han estado construyendo y diseñando sus robots.  La cantidad de variables y la precisión que requieren los niños hacen que sea un reto muy interesante el construir un robot virtual que funciona.

Kits.  La mayoría de los alumnos ya adquieron los kits que utilizaremos desde la primera semana de Marzo.  Por favor estén al pendiente de las fotografías que estaremos subiendo para que vean el avance.