Honda Motor Company's midget-spaceman-robot Asimo went from operating solo to working in a collective. By communicating wirelessly, the Asimo units know what tasks nearby robots are carrying out, how much battery life each one has and who will pick up a comrade's slack when a visit to the charging stations is necessary. Each Asimo is also better than ever at performing tasks in an environment filled with us fleshy types. Asimo can analyze the trajectory and speed of the people around it and decide how best to get out of the way — even backpedaling if absolutely necessary, holding out its hand to signal the passerby to continue on.

Scheduled to serve refreshments at Honda HQ in Japan for the next two months, Asimo might just be the most polite robot in development. Check out the gallery below to see more of the Asimo serving drinks, clearing paths and enjoying a little R-n'-R back at the recharge station.

Honda, via Loving the Machine