SlashGear Japan
He might star in TV ads, but we all know ASIMO is a closet alcoholic; the press releases blaming an “inner ear infection” for his notorious mid-performance falls aren’t fooling anyone, Honda. And now he has competition, in the form of the sashaying Anybots Dextor, the world’s first dynamically balanced robot.
Ironically Dextor owes more to falling than ASIMO ever could. The latter’s walking is a pre-programmed routine dependent on a flat, level surface (or, occasionally, predictable steps); in contrast, Dextor walks as humans do, in a form of controlled falling.
It involves shifting balance forward and then catching yourself by putting a foot forward. So far Anybots’ creation is pretty doddery, but it can only improve as he learns to better handle his body (chassis?) mass. Another benefit of dynamic balancing is that, even if ASIMO gets jealous and lands a mean uppercut, Dextor should be able to keep upright.
