Just how close are we to having walking, talking teddy bear companions for our children, as depicted in Spielberg’s film A.I. Artificial Intelligence, or humanoid butlers, as depicted by Robin Williams in Bicentennial Man? On the A.I. side, we still have a long way to go before creating “conscious” machines. On the robotics side, though, we are making much more headway. The two main players in this field are Honda, with its ASIMO robot, and Sony with its SDR-4X robot. The two corporations, however, are pursuing decidedly different goals.

Sony wants an entertainment robot, and so created the diminuitive SDR-4X, which is seen here talking, walking, getting up after a fall and even memorizing faces. It can even do tai chi, as shown here.

Honda, on the other hand, wants a practical robot that can be a useful household companion, so they built ASIMO to be more than twice as tall as the SDR-4X, despite the increased technological challenges. 120 cm (3.93 feet) is the minimum height a robot needs to move effectively around a home. Despite its size, it can walk quite well, as shown here and here. ASIMO just began its 15-month U.S. tour at Liberty Science Center in Jersey City. As NorthJersey.com reports, Honda wants to create a robot that can work in a multi-level home with tight hallways, doors, and counters, helping with such tasks as giving medication, grabbing a snack from the fridge, and taking out the garbage. “On the most basic level, Honda developed ASIMO to help people,” said Jeffrey Smith, leader of the ASIMO North America Project Team. “It can give a new kind of mobility to those who don’t have it. A blind person could venture out into society with a humanoid robot to help them.”