Why Honda took a few days to seed a video of their potentially emasculating robotic legs is beyond me, but here it is: a faceless man running the "Walking Assist Device" through its strides (ha, ha). My fears of testicular danger are only partially mitigated, and the fact that the legs have a hilariously feminine gait doesn't offer much comfort. That said, they do seem to work: the demonstrator never falls down, and appears to exert very little energy, even during deep squats. [Akihabara]

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Honda's first foray into robotising old peoples' haunches looked pretty tame, but this new one, on which geriatrics are supposed to mount like some sort of meat trophy, feels like a glimpse into a horrible, dystopian future where up is down, right is wrong and grandmas and grandpas amble through Sears on mechanised rectal steeds instead of walkers. The machine, which I'm 90% sure is just the missing half of this Battle Droid from Attack of the Clones, is more a passive support device than it is a set of active robot limbs, though it does have a small electric motor.

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Honda research engineers have given Asimo the ability to understand three voices at once, thanks to an array of eight microphones that can recognise 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]

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Honda's ASIMO may have picked up the baton to conduct an entire orchestra, but Toyota has just outperformed the little guy with its suite of robo-musicians. Dubbed Chuck, Harry, Dave and Ritchie (honestly!) the part-wheeled, part-bipedal quartet recently performed a concert where they actually played a trumpet, tuba, drums, violin and trombone. Their song repertoire included a Glenn Miller piece and a popular Japanese tune— and that makes waving a baton around seem pretty low-tech. Wait 'til you see the video of Ritchie hammering away on his custom drum kit— he'll have you giggling with robot-appreciation glee.

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Asimo, Honda's consistently-unimpressive robot that they awkwardly walk out for press conferences to prove to everyone that they're working on vague, future-related projects, is at it again! This time, he's been spotted "conducting" Yo-Yo Ma and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, caught here on NBC's Today Show. It's all quite ridiculous and probably not a little insulting to real-life conductors, but on the up side, Honda donates US$1 million to the DSO to improve its music education programs, which is something even my grizzled, jaded heart can't frown upon. [Asimo on Giz]

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Honda has developed a gadget that they say could make walking easier for the elderly and others with weak leg muscles. The aptly named Walking Assist Device is a 2.7 kg motorised belt with hip sensors that gauge how much help the wearer will need. The motor then gives the wearer an appropriate boost, lengthening his or her stride enough to make walking easier on the legs.

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Spanish company PAL Technology's ultimate goal is to develop a humanoid service robot, and REEM B is the latest prototype they've produced. The robot can navigate autonomously around buildings, identify and interact with people and objects and carry heavy weights. He may not be as nippy or sleek as Honda's ASIMO—his top speed is just under one mile an hour—but he's stronger than the latter, as you can see in the video.

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AU: Check out Gizmodo AU's recent Asimo encounter.

When scientists in some bunker in the year 2525 are trying to determine when humanity handed over the keys to the robot overlords, December 11, 2007, may be a good date, for on this day, Honda announced it had given its ASIMO servant robots three key abilities. Here we break them down, and provide a "Future Shock" analysis of each:• Autonomous battery charging - Honda developed a Borg-like charging bay for ASIMO. When the robot's battery level drops to a certain point, it seeks out the closest bay.
Future Shock: Seeking a power source is the first step towards domination, Coppertop.

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Here's a quick recap of this week's videos from our personal encounter with Honda ASIMO:

ASIMO makes his grand Robot Rock entrance at Sydney show.
My first encounter.
The new best buddies hitting the dance floor.
Getting up close and personal.