Tokyo - UPI
A robot built by Honda had problems with gesture recognition on its first day as a museum guide at a science museum in Tokyo, officials said.
The robot, dubbed Asimo, was unable to distinguish between people raising their hand to ask the robot a question from those just trying to get a picture with their smartphones, The Japan Daily Press reported Friday.
Asimo will be \"working\" as a tour guide at the Miraikan museum for the next four weeks as a trial.
Asimo cannot respond to voice commands or questions -- instead it is designed to answer any of 100 questions selected by visitors from a touchscreen after they\'ve raised a hand.
During a demonstration when people pointed their cameras at Asimo, it froze and repeatedly asked: \"Who wants to ask Asimo a question?\"
Honda technology specialist Satoshi Shigemi acknowledged there is still a long way to go before Asimo becomes a truly interactive tour guide.
\"Right now, it can recognize a child waving to it, but it\'s not able to comprehend the meaning of the waving,\" Shigemi said.