As consumer products have become increasingly more sophisticated, incorporating "smart" technology to assist with formerly human operated functions, there has been a convergence between the robotics and consumer products industries. This convergence is most evident in recently introduced humanoid robots from industrial giants Honda and Toyota. Honda's Asimo robot (at left) can respond to voice commands, step out of the way of approaching humans and make tea. It's original configuration was in a 6' 3" body, however, this imposing size has been decreased to under 5', a child-like scale more fitting for this androgynous creature than that of a tall man. Toyota's Robina (bottom left) is the principle host of visitors to one of Toyota's production facilities, providing a guided tour. Toyota's design perhaps hints at the form of an Asian female more than any other gender or nationality, but has less of an overall humanoid feel than the Toyota model due to its lack of a lower body.
Production Humanoid Robots
