ASIMO
It took Honda 15 years of secret research before they showed the world.
In one sentence
ASIMO is the friendly white humanoid Honda built to prove a robot could walk like a person — and it did, on tour, for two decades.
The wow factor
Three things that make ASIMO genuinely impressive.
Honda spent ~$1 billion on Project E in secret from 1986 to 2000.
It famously tripped on stage in 2006 — the most-viewed humanoid robot video of the decade.
Only ~100 ASIMOs were ever built; each cost approximately $1 million.
How it works
A step-by-step breakdown, in plain English.
- 157 servomotors in legs, arms, and hands produce human-like motion.
- 2An IMU and force sensors in the feet detect balance moment to moment.
- 3Stereo cameras in the head recognise faces and gestures.
- 4Onboard battery and computer make ASIMO fully self-contained.
- 5A simple programming interface lets researchers teach ASIMO new behaviours.
Where you've probably seen it
ASIMO appeared on The Tonight Show, met Barack Obama, and toured Disneyland Paris. It is one of the most-photographed robots in history.
The team behind it
Honda's Project E was led by Masato Hirose. The ASIMO programme was overseen by Honda's R&D Division. Honda officially retired ASIMO in 2018, but kept one operational at the Miraikan museum in Tokyo.
The full story
Honda's ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) was unveiled in 2000 after 14 years of secret bipedal research. ASIMO could walk, run at 9 km/h, climb stairs, recognise faces and voices, kick a football, pour drinks, and dance. Standing 130 cm and weighing 54 kg, ASIMO became the public face of humanoid robotics for nearly two decades. Honda retired the program in 2018 to redirect resources, but every modern humanoid stands on ASIMO's engineering foundations.
Why you should care
ASIMO is the humanoid that made the world believe two-legged robots were possible. Without ASIMO's 20-year run, Atlas and Optimus would have nothing to stand on.
The origin story
Honda's humanoid research began secretly in 1986 — the company wanted to build a robot that could help people in their daily lives. After 14 years of unreleased prototypes (E0 through P3), Honda unveiled ASIMO in October 2000.
The problem it solved
Before ASIMO, dynamic bipedal walking outside a research lab was considered an unsolved problem. ASIMO walked, climbed stairs and pushed carts in front of live audiences — repeatedly.
How it actually works
ASIMO has 34 degrees of freedom and walks via Honda's "intelligent real-time flexible walking" algorithm — it constantly senses tilt and shifts its centre of gravity. Force sensors in its feet and inertial measurement give it the same loop a human ankle does.
The drama
It almost failed
ASIMO was famously expensive (each unit cost over $1M) and was never sold commercially. Honda stopped active development in 2018 — many felt the project ended without ever proving humanoid utility.
The breakthrough
ASIMO ringing the New York Stock Exchange bell in 2002 became the iconic image of humanoid robotics for a decade. It performed alongside conductors, served drinks, and shook hands with three different US Presidents.
Controversies
ASIMO was repeatedly criticised for being a marketing prop more than a research platform. Honda's response — keeping the algorithms internal — was seen as unhelpful to academia.
🇮🇳 India angle
India today: Honda's Indian arm imports research-grade robots for technical demos, including ASIMO units that have toured IIT campuses.
What India should learn: ASIMO is a cautionary tale. India should not build a 20-year, billion-dollar humanoid program for prestige. India should build one narrow, useful robot — well — and ship it.
The wow facts
1
ASIMO's 4.3 km/h running speed in 2005 was the first dynamic running ever achieved by a bipedal robot.
2
ASIMO performed at Disneyland's "Innoventions" attraction for over 11 years.
3
Honda retired the project quietly in 2018 — but the team that built ASIMO went on to spin off Honda's electric vehicle prosthetics work.
The legacy
ASIMO showed humanoid robots could be real. Two decades later, every humanoid startup founder grew up watching ASIMO on TV.
Economic impact
Direct revenue: near zero. Indirect impact: every Japanese humanoid program, every Sony AIBO, every modern Boston Dynamics humanoid stands on ASIMO's research foundation.
Jobs affected
Service jobs were ASIMO's stated target — none were ever truly replaced. The economic story is that ASIMO never reached commercial scale.
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Family tree
The predecessors and successors of ASIMO.
- E0(1986)
- P2(1996)
- P3(1997)
- ASIMO 2000(2000)
- ASIMO 2011(2011)
ASIMO in 2 minutes
Learn the science behind ASIMO
Three Atlas entries that explain how ASIMO actually works.
Mind-blowing facts
ASIMO is the first humanoid to run with both feet off the ground at the same time.
It tripped on stage in front of an audience in 2006 — a moment that became the most-viewed humanoid robot video of the decade.
Honda built only ~100 ASIMO units; each cost roughly $1 million to manufacture.