All-New ASIMO Joins in the Celebrations at Czech Science Centre

All-New ASIMO made its debut appearance in the Czech Republic last week. It was invited to the Bohemian city of Plzen, in the western region of the country, to celebrate the first anniversary of the fully refurbished and enlarged Techmania Science Centre. 

The impressive 30,000m² extension to the popular science centre provides visitors with three times more space than previously and houses attractions including the country’s first 3D planetarium.

The Techmania Science Centre was one of the first science centres established in the Czech Republic and since opening in 2005 has continued its mission to help the public, especially young people, to get more familiar with science and technology.

On the opening day of the celebrations, the latest generation of Honda’s humanoid robot attended the event’s official press conference and also greeted the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Andrew Schapiro.

The robot remained in the science centre until the weekend, performing over 30 shows to the 6,500 visitors who attended.

Whilst this visit marks the first time the All-New ASIMO has visited the country, in 2003 the first generation of ASIMO accompanied former Japanese Premier Junichiro Koizumi to meet then Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla as a 'Goodwill Ambassador for Robots'. It also took the opportunity whilst in Prague to place flowers on the memorial to the late Czech author Karel Capek.

Capek first used the made-up word 'Robot' in one of his works, presented in 1920. The word 'Robot' has since become a term known and used throughout the world. For this reason, Capek is sometimes considered the father of robots.