Although we're still very, very far from the level of robot complexity depicted in such sci-fi titles as I, Robot, Terminator, Battlestar Galactica and the numerous other movies and series out there, the truth of the matter is that the constant innovations in this field (especially by Japanese scientists) lead us to believe that, in a couple of decades, robots might actually begin to provide a level of functionality and versatility at least remotely close to that of their movie counterparts.

And, as Chiho Matsuda and Nikkei Monozukuri from TechOn inform us, one step in that direction is HIRO, which stands for Human Interactive Robot, a life-size torso humanoid robot platform developed by Japanese companies General Robotix and Kawada Industries. The main innovations brought about by this robot are related to the fact that its movements are more similar to those of humans compared with existing robots, making it possible to conduct practical researches.

The "HIRO" is not exactly what we'd be willing to call “humanoid,” since it measures 67 x 50 x 50cm and weighs around 20 kilos. However, it does display an impressive level of dexterity, since it sports 15 degrees of freedom in total, with two of them in the neck, six in each arm and one in the lower back.

Apparently, the resemblance to the human body is also reflected in HIRO's arms. Hence, it can be both strong (carries an object weighing up to 2kg with each of its arms, and its finger tip features an operating force of up to 100N – 10kgf) and delicate, since its finger tip can trace the outer track of an A4 paper, starting from and coming back to the center point (approximately 1,400mm) in about two seconds and can repeat this movement.

As far as the software platform used by the HIRO is concerned, it's important to mention the fact that it runs on top of Windows XP and has been developed as a collaborative effort between the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technologies (AIST), the University of Tokyo and GRX.

For the time being, two versions of this robot have been released, the complete one selling for around 76,000 US dollars, which includes the machine itself and the license for the software it utilizes.


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