WhereIsAtlas · Honda
What Happened to Honda's ASIMO?
The famous Honda humanoid that walked, climbed stairs and won hearts — retired in 2018 after a landmark run.
ASIMO, revealed by Honda in 2000, was one of the most celebrated humanoid robots in history for its ability to walk and interact naturally. Honda retired it in 2018, redirecting research toward practical technologies, but it remains a landmark of the humanoid-robot lineage.
The robot that walked like a person
ASIMO, short for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, was unveiled by Honda in 2000. It was a humanoid robot that could walk smoothly, climb stairs and later run, and it could even recognize faces. It was, for its time, an astonishing achievement.
A symbol of Japanese robotics
ASIMO went on to become a global icon. It appeared in exhibitions, on stages, and alongside world leaders, charming audiences with its ability to move and interact like a person. It was the culmination of years of Honda research into humanoid locomotion, building on earlier prototypes.
The retirement
In 2018, after nearly two decades, Honda announced it would end ASIMO's development, redirecting its robotics work toward more practical, useful technologies. The cute, widely loved robot would no longer be developed as a consumer-facing humanoid.
Where ASIMO sits in the lineage
ASIMO was a celebrated branch of the humanoid-robot family tree — a contemporary of the modern robotics field, and a descendant of the ambition that began with pioneers like WABOT-1 (1973). It shares that lineage with companies like Boston Dynamics and, more recently, Unitree.
Where ASIMO is now
ASIMO is no longer being developed, but it is preserved as a piece of robotics history and a symbol of what walking humanoids could achieve. For a 'what happened' answer, ASIMO's run is over, but its legacy is enduring — a beloved robot that helped make humanoid robotics a part of the global imagination.
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Sources
- ASIMO - Wikipedia — Wikipedia (2026-09-05)
- Honda halts ASIMO development — The Next Web / reporting (2026-09-05)