Honda upgrades robot brain into OS for future electric cars

Honda has announced it has developed an operating system for electric vehicles, using tech it first developed for a humanoid robot named "Asimo".

Readers may recall that Asimo could conduct a symphony orchestra, play football, and even recognize faces and voices, and pour drinks to make it a threat to human bartenders everywhere.

Honda stopped work on Asimo in 2018, saying it wanted to take the tech in a different direction.

We now know that direction is electric cars, thanks to a Wednesday announcement that reveals Honda has created "ASIMO OS" as the brains of its forthcoming "O Series" electric cars.

The name "ASIMO OS" was chosen to evoke what Honda believes are fond memories of the robot, and the fact that some of the tech used in the machine - especially that which gave it the ability to recognize external environments and operate autonomously - was worked on even after the bot was unplugged.

"By combining such robotics technologies with advanced intelligence technologies for the Honda 0 Series, Honda strives to offer the value of software defined vehicles unique to Honda," the company's statement gushes.

ASIMO OS will apparently allow "integrated management of electronic control units for vehicle systems such as automated driving/advanced driver assistance systems and in-vehicle infotainment". The OS will be updated over the air, to add features and reflect drivers' desires in ways that "deliver a personalized ownership experience that will enhance the joy of driving."

The O Series will debut in 2026, when a SUV and a saloon become available in the USA before moving to other markets.

Future O Series vehicles will feature a custom system-on-chip that the automaker will create in concert with Japanese chipmaker Renesas. Honda has also teased "a new energy service ... to enable customers to enjoy a stress-free EV ownership experience with reduced environmental impact." Details of what that means weren't discussed.

Nor was the potential impact of a merger with Nissan, which the two carmakers have decided to officially explore after speculation the two could come together and possibly even involve Mitsubishi to ensure all three have the scale and tech to quickly build products that rival those from Tesla and China's increasingly vigorous fleet of keenly-priced-EV-makers. ®