Oct. 2 –Honda’s commitment to encouraging the growth of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education among young students is now bringing those concepts off the page and into the real world – courtesy of Honda Robotics.

For the first time, students from Central Ohio schools had the unique opportunity to see real-world applications of many Honda’s latest robotics technologies last week at the Honda Heritage Center in Marysville, Ohio. You can view a video of this demonstration here.

Students participating in programs from 15 different schools and career centers experienced a variety of products from Honda Robotics, including Honda’s state-of-the-art humanoid robot ASIMO, the UNI-CUB and the Walking Assist Device. These demonstrations were designed to show the students the practical uses of many of the concepts and practices that they are currently learning about in their courses of study.

“We see great value in sharing our unique robotic technologies with students as an opportunity to demonstrate how we are applying math and science to create new value for society,” said Jeffrey Smith, assistant vice president, Honda North America, Inc. “Showing young people how we are pursuing new dreams to help people and society can inspire and motivate their own dreams.”

ASIMO showcased its balance and mobility by climbing stairs, kicking a soccer ball and dancing. The wide-eyed students also saw a demonstration of Honda’s newest personal mobility device the UNI-CUB. In addition, the students learned first-hand about Honda’s commitment to improve mobility for those in need during a demonstration of the Walking Assist Device using volunteers from the audience and led by Honda R&D engineers.  The Walking Assist is designed to support people with reduced walking ability due to injury or illness, or people with weakened leg muscles due to aging or other causes.

“We place great value on the development of the next generation of engineers and scientists. Enabling them to witness the latest Honda technology can inspire them to pursue an education that will support that career direction,” said Scot McLemore, manager of technical workforce development at Honda North America. “We hope that demonstrations like these motivate students to envision themselves as future engineers and technicians – hopefully working for Honda.”