Honda ASIMO Timeline

Honda announces the end of the ASIMO development programme after 36 years. The decision reflects the company's strategic shift toward other robotics initiatives. Remaining units are preserved in Honda museums and facilities worldwide.

Honda ceases manufacturing new ASIMO units. The company pivots to develop smaller, more affordable interactive and collaborative robots for commercial and domestic settings. Existing ASIMO units continue operating in museums and exhibitions.

Honda intensifies ASIMO's role as a public-facing ambassador, featuring the robot at major expos and corporate events worldwide. ASIMO demonstrations educate audiences on humanoid robotics and Honda's technological vision.

Honda reveals a significantly redesigned ASIMO platform with 57 degrees of freedom (up from 34 in earlier versions). The new generation achieves a running speed of 9 km/h and improved balance and stability. Weight remains at ~54 kg. This becomes the final mass-produced generation.

Honda showcases ASIMO navigating office buildings and public spaces autonomously, recognising obstacles, using elevators, and executing pre-planned routes. Demonstrations emphasise improvements in sensor fusion and decision-making.

ASIMO becomes the first humanoid robot to achieve running motion with both feet leaving the ground. Running speed reaches approximately 6 km/h. This represents a major milestone in bipedal locomotive control.

Honda upgrades ASIMO's hand design with improved tactile feedback and finer control, enabling the robot to grasp and manipulate a wider variety of objects more delicately.

Honda announces and demonstrates ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative MObility) to the public. The robot stands 120 cm tall, weighs 43 kg, and features 34 degrees of freedom. Initial walking speed is approximately 0.3 m/s. The design is inspired by Honda's P-series prototypes.

Honda showcases the P3 prototype, a bipedal humanoid standing ~160 cm tall. The P3 proves the feasibility of Honda's walking algorithm and balance control strategy, laying the groundwork for ASIMO's design.

Honda introduces the P2 prototype, an earlier bipedal humanoid research platform. The P2 tests autonomous locomotion algorithms and sensor feedback systems central to Honda's humanoid philosophy.

Honda's robotics research division initiates the E-series (Experimental series) project, laying the conceptual and technical foundations for bipedal humanoid robotics. This marks the beginning of a 36-year journey that would define the field.