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| == '''[[ASIMO]]''' ==
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| {{Image|The New ASIMO.jpg|right|200px|The New ASIMO introduced in 2005.}} | | ==Footnotes== |
| '''ASIMO''' (アシモ ''ashimo'') is the world's most advanced [[humanoid]] robot, developed by the [[Japan]]ese company [[Honda]]. The first ASIMO was completed after 15 years of research, and it was officially unveiled on October 31, 2000. The robot resembles a small astronaut wearing a backpack, and is capable of performing a variety of tasks, including running, kicking a ball, walking up and down stairs, and recognizing people by their appearance and voice. The name is short for "'''A'''dvanced '''S'''tep in '''I'''nnovative '''MO'''bility" and is also known as an abbreviation of ''ashita no'' mobility, meaning 'mobility in the future.'<ref name="masatokenichi14">Masato, Hirose and Ogawa Kenichi, 2006. "Honda Humanoid Robots Development." pp. 14</ref> It was named in reference to [[Isaac Asimov]], an American professor and science fiction writer who is credited with coining the term ''robotics'' and proposing the [[Three Laws of Robotics]].
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| === Design concept ===
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| <blockquote>"Following in the steps of Honda motorcycles, cars and power products. Honda has taken up a new challenge in mobility - the development of a two-legged humanoid robot that can walk."<ref name="asimomain">"ASIMO Technology." ''Honda Worldwide''. Honda Motor Co.,Ltd. Web. 24 Aug. 2011. <http://world.honda.com/ASIMO/technology/>.</ref></blockquote>
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| Bipedal movement has been the primary focus of Honda's humanoid robotic research to create general-purpose, intelligent robots that can "coexist and cooperate with [[humans]]",<ref name=" ">Pfeiffer, Friedrich, and Hirochika Inoue, 2007. "Walking: Technology and Biology." pp. 5</ref> since it began in 1986 with the development of the 'E0' prototype. While there existed many different visions of futuristic robots, such as R2-D2 and C-3PO from [[Star Wars]], it was recognized that human-like robots with bipedal mobility are the most ideal for operating and [[human-robot interaction|interacting with humans]] in human surroundings.<ref name="masatokenichi11">Masato, Hirose and Ogawa Kenichi, 2006. "Honda Humanoid Robots Development." pp. 11</ref>
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| Based on this concept, ASIMO's design concerns three main elements, which are human-friendliness, adaptability to the human environment, and engineering feasibility. The robot's height was set at 120 cm (or 130 cm in the case of second-generation ASIMO), which is similar to a child's, as this would be practical both on the engineering aspect (since a smaller and lighter robot is less challenging than an adult-sized robot such as the P2 prototype) and the question of operability in the environment, where light switches are normally located 110 cm from the floor. With less bulk, the robot would be able to move more efficiently in handling obstacles and narrow passages,<ref name="masatokenichi15">Masato, Hirose and Ogawa Kenichi, 2006. "Honda Humanoid Robots Development." pp. 15</ref> and it would also be less overwhelming presence to humans and, in case of accidents, less hazardous.
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| Its humanoid form that is not only functionally but also proportionally similar to the [[human anatomy|human body]] was meant to enhance its human and environment-friendly qualities by allowing it to make gestures and communicate face-to-face, as well as using the stairs or taking seat in a car. Its strikingly minimalist appearance, which lacks a detailed face and toes on its feet, provides fewer moving parts as rooms for error, while being clearly discernible to humans as consisting of a head, torso, arms, hands, legs, and feet. ASIMO being a popular icon, its design has contributed to the conceptual diversity of futuristic robots, based on a very unique design language of modern Japanese aesthetics.<ref name="aestheticsmansfield">Mansfield, Stephen. "Japanese Aesthetics and High-Tech Design." Nov. 2001. ''J@pan Inc''. Japan Inc Communications, Inc. Web. 10 Oct. 2011. <http://www.japaninc.com/article.php?articleID=515>.</ref>
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| Honda has suggested several future uses for robots like the ASIMO, which, despite its impressive list of feats and features, remains an experimental technology demonstrator that needs to operate in controlled, predictable environment. With further advances, ASIMO could be engaged in useful tasks such as elderly care assistance, [[firefighting]], and toxic cleanup.<ref name="asimotechguide18">"ASIMO Technical Guide". pp. 18</ref> At the present, the ASIMO is being leased to companies for receptionist work.<ref name="sakagamietal2478">Sakagami, et al, 2002. ''The Intelligent ASIMO: System Overview and Integration''. pp. 2478</ref>
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| ''[[ASIMO|.... (read more)]]''
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Napoleon (Napoleon Bonaparte or, after 1804, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French) was a world historic figure and dictator of France from 1799 to 1814. He was the greatest general of his age--perhaps any age, with a sure command of battlefield tactics and campaign strategies, As a civil leader he played a major role in the French Revolution, then ended it when he became dictator in 1799 and Emperor of France in 1804 He modernized the French military, fiscal, political legal and religious systems. He fought an unending series of wars against Britain with a complex, ever-changing coalition of European nations on both sides. Refusing to compromise after his immense defeat in Russia in 1812, he was overwhelmed by a coalition of enemies and abdicated in 1814. In 1815 he returned from exile, took control of France, built a new army, and in 100 days almost succeeded--but was defeated at Waterloo and exiled to a remote island. His image and memory are central to French national identity, but he is despised by the British and Russians and is a controversial figure in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.
Rise to Power
Once the Revolution had begun, so many of the aristocratic officers turned against the Revolutionary government, or were exiled or executed, that a vacuum of senior leadership resulted. Promotions came very quickly now, and loyalty to the Revolution was as important as technical skill; Napoleon had both. His demerits were overlooked as he was twice reinstated, promoted, and allowed to collect his back pay. Paris knew him as an intellectual soldier deeply involved in politics. His first test of military genius came at Toulon in 1793, where the British had seized this key port. Napoleon, an acting Lieutenant-Colonel, used his artillery to force the British to abandon the city. He was immediately promoted by the Jacobin radicals under Robespierre to brigadier-general, joining the ranks of several brilliant young generals. He played a major role in defending Paris itself from counter-revolutionaries, and became the operational planner for the Army of Italy and planned two successful attacks in April 1794. He married Josephine (Rose de Beauharnais) in 1796, after falling violently in love with the older aristocratic widow.[1]
- ↑ Englund pp 63-73, 91-2, 97-8
