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== '''[[ASIMO]]''' ==
== '''[[Karl Marx]]''' ==
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{{Image|The New ASIMO.jpg|right|200px|The New ASIMO introduced in 2005.}}  
{{Image|Karl Marx.jpg|right|200px|Karl Marx.}}
'''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.&nbsp;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]].
'''Karl Marx''' (1818-1883) is generally thought of  as the co-founder, with Friedrich Engels, of the political movement known as [[communism]]. He made historically significant contributions to the intellectual disciplines of philosophy, economics, politics and historicism. Of his many written contributions to those disciplines, the best-known is the 3-volume Das Kapital, and he was co-author, with Friedrich Engels, of the Communist Manifesto. Their slogan "workers of the world unite" became the rallying calls for revolutionary movements including  Russia's Bolshevic Revolution of 1917 and the Chinese Revolution of 1949; and Marx's advocacy of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" has been the inspiration of communist parties throughout the world.


=== Design concept ===
==Overview==
<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>
Karl Marx underwent a transition from academic theoretician to political activist - leaving an influential legacy in both fields. As a
student of [[philosophy]] he accepted the tenets of traditional [[humanism]], but he later developed his own interpretation in which religion is a response to hardship, and one that is destined to survive until its cause is removed. He sought an explanation for working class hardships in the theories of [[History of economic thought#Classical Economics|classical economics]] and developed his own analysis which concluded  that [[capitalism]] deprives working people of all of the fruits of their labour beyond the amounts necessary for their subsistence. His analysis of historicism led him to the conclusion  that capitalism contained the seeds of its own destruction, and that its overthrow would happen first where the development of capitalism was most advanced. His political theories were concerned with the processes by which capitalism could be replaced by a system governed by the principle of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need". As a political activist, he played a major part in the promotion of [[communism]], and was a founder member of the Communist League (later to become the Communist International). His intellectual legacy was globally influential despite the development of a  consensus among academic economists that his economic analysis was flawed. His political proposals were taken up and developed by Lenin and others, and were the inspiration of Russia's  Bolshevic Revolution and of communist revolutions in China, Cuba and elsewhere.


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.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;11</ref>
''[[Karl Marx|.... (read more)]]''
 
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&nbsp;cm (or 130&nbsp;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&nbsp;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.&nbsp;15</ref> and it would also be less overwhelming presence to humans and, in case of accidents, less hazardous.
 
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>
 
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.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;2478</ref>
 
''[[ASIMO|.... (read more)]]''


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Revision as of 20:30, 5 April 2012

Karl Marx


Karl Marx.

Karl Marx (1818-1883) is generally thought of as the co-founder, with Friedrich Engels, of the political movement known as communism. He made historically significant contributions to the intellectual disciplines of philosophy, economics, politics and historicism. Of his many written contributions to those disciplines, the best-known is the 3-volume Das Kapital, and he was co-author, with Friedrich Engels, of the Communist Manifesto. Their slogan "workers of the world unite" became the rallying calls for revolutionary movements including Russia's Bolshevic Revolution of 1917 and the Chinese Revolution of 1949; and Marx's advocacy of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need" has been the inspiration of communist parties throughout the world.

Overview

Karl Marx underwent a transition from academic theoretician to political activist - leaving an influential legacy in both fields. As a student of philosophy he accepted the tenets of traditional humanism, but he later developed his own interpretation in which religion is a response to hardship, and one that is destined to survive until its cause is removed. He sought an explanation for working class hardships in the theories of classical economics and developed his own analysis which concluded that capitalism deprives working people of all of the fruits of their labour beyond the amounts necessary for their subsistence. His analysis of historicism led him to the conclusion that capitalism contained the seeds of its own destruction, and that its overthrow would happen first where the development of capitalism was most advanced. His political theories were concerned with the processes by which capitalism could be replaced by a system governed by the principle of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need". As a political activist, he played a major part in the promotion of communism, and was a founder member of the Communist League (later to become the Communist International). His intellectual legacy was globally influential despite the development of a consensus among academic economists that his economic analysis was flawed. His political proposals were taken up and developed by Lenin and others, and were the inspiration of Russia's Bolshevic Revolution and of communist revolutions in China, Cuba and elsewhere.

.... (read more)