For the first time in the world, a robot the size and shape of a human has been built that can stand up and lie down on its own. This robot, which was developed by Kawada Industries Inc. and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, an independent administrative institution located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, was unveiled in September 2002. It is about the same height and weight as an adult female, and it walks on two legs. While this sort of movement was possible before, it was limited to robots 60 cm (2 feet) tall or less. It is hoped that this dramatic breakthrough will make a major contribution to the development of humanoid worker robots.

The HRP-2P demonstrates standing up and lying down. (Courtesy of AIST)

Aiming to Work with Humans
The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry is promoting a plan called the Humanoid Robotics Project. The goal of this effort is to realize the creation of a robot that can work alongside humans, and this new robot, called the HRP-2 Prototype, is a part of this project. It is 154 cm (about 5 feet) tall; it weighs 58 kg (128 pounds); it has a shoulder span of 60 cm (2 feet); and its chest is 34 cm (13 inches) thick.

It also differs from previous robots in its outward appearance. As it has a high-density electrical system, it does not need to carry a backpack and has a shape very similar to that of human beings. It also has 30 moveable joints, including two in its waist, that allow a great deal of freedom of movement.

A public demonstration of the HRP-2P was held at its unveiling, when the robot showed off its abilities. It began by raising its arms over its head, standing up, laying face down, and then standing up again. It then took several steps forward, stopped and adjusted its stance, and did an about-face. Finally, it took several steps forward again, bent its knees, and bowed deeply to those who had come to the demonstration.

What allows this robot to accurately mimic human movement is its combination of hardware and software, specifically the flexible waist, the high-powered arms, the lack of a need for a backpack, and the newly-developed software allowing the robot to control its entire body. The deft combination of all these elements has made possible the development of a robot that is able to move like a human and react smoothly when its center of gravity shifts. Being able to do this is one of the preconditions for a robot to work alongside humans, and this model represents a giant step forward.

Making the Dream a Reality
The following information on the development of the HRP-2P was provided by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology:

Even though Japan is the world's largest market for industrial robots, the size of this market has remained flat at between ¥500 billion and ¥600 billion since the 1980s. The main reason for this is that the types of jobs a robot can perform have not increased, and the technological innovations needed to increase the number of such jobs have not taken place.

Since Honda Motor Co. released the P2 in 1996, though, a number of humanoid robots have been developed, and the field has entered a new era. Recently, Honda released a robot called ASIMO, and Sony Corp. unveiled its SDR-4X. ASIMO can even be rented for events. Up to now, however, these humanoid robots were intended to specialize in the area of entertainment and were not oriented toward work. In order to greatly expand the market for robots, the types of jobs they can perform must be greatly increased.
The purpose of the HRP is to demonstrate to the world the possibility of realizing humanoid robot workers through researching their possible applications. One of the major consumer items of the twentieth century was the automobile, and it is conceivable that humanoid robots will be one of the major items of the twenty-first century. It is hoped that the HRP will represent a major step toward this goal.

With this in mind, the creation of a robot capable of standing up on its own is important in that it resolves one of the major issues facing the use of humanoid robots: what to do if it falls over. In addition, the fact that the robot is able to safely go down on all four limbs and even lie down will lead to an increase in the types of jobs that can be performed by robots. It is expected that the results of this research will make major contributions toward the practical application of humanoid robot workers.