![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The Robot Standardization Wars
Mar. 16th, 2005 11:28 amThe Ides of March, March 15, 2005, will long live in the memory of mankind as the start of the Robot Standardization Wars. Not to be outdone by rival Honda's ASIMO, Hitachi released the EMIEW, a robot with a top groundspeed of 3.7 mph. It achieved this miracle by eschewing the entire bipedal locomotion problem that had plagued ASIMO's developers from the beginning in favor of a Segway-esque pair of self-balancing motorized wheels.
Honda retaliated by having a cadre of ASIMOs storm the Hitachi headquarters. While only capable of a top groundspeed of 1.86 mph, the ASIMOs were able to climb several flights of stairs, allowing them to surprise the Hitachi staff by using the oft-neglect fire-stairwells; the ASIMOs ability to use martial arts kata and soccer postures proved deadly in the tight hallways. Hitachi retaliated by posting EMIEWs near the homes of Honda executives and running them down in the streets as they came home.
NEXT ISSUE: Sony releases packs of AIBOs to keep the peace. Will it work?
Honda retaliated by having a cadre of ASIMOs storm the Hitachi headquarters. While only capable of a top groundspeed of 1.86 mph, the ASIMOs were able to climb several flights of stairs, allowing them to surprise the Hitachi staff by using the oft-neglect fire-stairwells; the ASIMOs ability to use martial arts kata and soccer postures proved deadly in the tight hallways. Hitachi retaliated by posting EMIEWs near the homes of Honda executives and running them down in the streets as they came home.
 |  |
we are your friends!" |
NEXT ISSUE: Sony releases packs of AIBOs to keep the peace. Will it work?
