Obama Met Asimo
President Obama is in Japan on a state visit right now (April 24, 2014), and he’s been making some high-tech new friends. Honda’s humanoid robot Asimo was on hand at Tokyo’s Miraikan science museum — previously host to the colossal Kuratas mech — to demonstrate its soccer abilities. After offering a bow and exchanging a few words with Asimo, Obama said its ball skills were “pretty impressive.”. But the robot might have done its job too well; Obama later told students that “the robots were a little scary. They were too lifelike.”
US President Barack Obama (2nd L) bows to Honda’s humanoid robot ASIMO (R), an acronym for Advanced Step in Innovative MObility, as he tours the Miraikan Science Expo in Tokyo on April 24, 2014. Obama earlier vowed to defend Japan if China attacks over a tense territorial dispute, but also urged Beijing to help stop North Korea from forging ahead with its “dangerous” nuclear programme. (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)
Asides from giving philosophical thoughts on the uncanny valley, Obama professed his belief in the importance of science and math programs, telling students they “have more technology and more power than even the greatest innovators of previous generations, so there is no limit to what [they] can achieve.”
source: AP
US President Barack Obama (L) stops a football that was kicked to him by humanoid robot ASIMO. (Photo credit JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)