Official News page 4

REAL LIFE IMITATES FED: ROBOTS THAT SERVE BEER

by Hazed

Honda's humanoid Asimo has been given an upgrade, and it now has almost all the skills needed to become a waitdroid.

It can recognize faces and voices, and best of all, it can pour drinks. That means it can take orders, it can spot regulars and remember what they drank last time, and it can serve up the beer.

Asimo's intelligence and abilities have been upgraded. Now it can understand multiple voices, and tell the difference between speakers even while they talk at the same time. It'll recognise faces, and also respond to movement of people around it, predicting the direction in which a person is about to walk in order to avoid a collision. That would make it ideal for navigating around a crowded bar in its new job as a waitdroid.

Best of all, it can hold and pour drinks, thanks to its multi-fingered hand with built-in sensors.

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