Honda research engineers have given Asimo the ability to understand three voices at once, thanks to an array of eight microphones that can recognize each voice individually. The recognition software, HARK, can process the commands with 70-80 percent accuracy and the microphones are placed all over Asimo's head and body for spatial recognition purposes. The current application for this technology is using Asimo as a judge for verbal Paper-Rock-Scissors, where everyone calls out their answer at once, and Asimo decides who said what, and who wins. Though a great technical feat, this feels less glamorous than the robot's stint as orchestra conductor, no? [New Scientist]

Contact information for this author is not available.