Asimo will be Honda's first brand ambassador for its businesses in the country.
This three-year old, four-feet, 52 kg, two-legged being does not have a gender. With the Indian market poised to explode in the near future, Asimo can do wonders to Honda's brand equity, say company executives.
Asimo is not a human being. It is the first walking humanoid robot created by Honda Motor Company, Japan's second largest car-maker.
As Asimo walked the ramp on Monday at a press conference, cameras clicked and video cameras rolled several times over, amid a furore normally generated by an Aishwarya Rai or Sachin Tendulkar.
So huge was the demand, that Asimo made a second appearance and even did a few jigs before a packed crowd.
Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India president chief executive Haruo Takiguchi said Asimo will be used by the company in India as an icon to demonstrate the group's technological prowess.
"We have exposed him recently in our corporate advertisements. Now, each company can use the Asimo along with their campaigns, if they desire to do so," he said.
The world's first walking robot said this was first visit to the country and it had already had a "Delhi Darshan" in which he enjoyed seeing the Qutab Minar and India Gate. It also spoke in Hindi, though executives later added that the robot was pre-programmed for the local audience.
In the years to come, Asimo may identify people whose details have been stored in the computer that runs it, and greet him with his name. As of date, he can walk and greet guests and even guide them to a pre-determined place, as it does at the IBM office in Japan.
Siriporn Ounkhum, a Honda Motor spokesperson, said that in future Asimo will be able to help people at work as also the housewife in the kitchen.
"Unlike other robots, Asimo can simulate body movements such as turning, moving back, climbing stairs and changing pace of movement to a greater degree. It is controlled by a computer, runs on a battery fixed in its stomach and can work for 30 minutes with fully charged batteries," she said.
Asimo, which stands for advanced step in innovative mobility, has been developed with a cost of more than Yen 1 billion.
Honda has been able to make Asimo stand up and walk and talk, after 14 years of in-depth research by Honda engineers.
