30 Years Ago, Robots Learned to Walk Without Falling (spectrum.ieee.org)

The IEEE Spectrum piece looks back at Honda’s Prototype 2 (P2), an autonomous humanoid robot developed in Japan that could walk without falling by using dynamic balance control and posture stabilization. It describes the step-by-step evolution from earlier prototypes (E0–E6) and improvements like sensor-based real-time gait adjustments and force/impact mitigation at the feet. P2 was publicly launched in 1996, later influencing the shift toward more human-capable service robots.