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HAL Exoskeleton Assisted Mountain Climbing

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the just-plain-hawesome dept.

OzPeter writes "The Age is reporting that two experienced mountain climbers will wear Japanese HAL exoskeletons to assist in carrying a quadriplegic and a muscular dystrophy sufferer to the summit of a Swiss mountain. Although they will be starting only 280 meters below the summit, it will still be an impressive feat." Slashdot covered the HAL exoskeleton late last year.

2 of 100 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Ummm. by EvilGrin5000 · · Score: 3, Informative
    From TFA...
    Uchida - left paralysed from the neck down after a spinal cord injury in a 1983 traffic accident - will make the final ascent to the 4,164-metre peak with the help of alpinist Ken Noguchi, 33.
    He would carry Uchida on his back with the aid of a robot known as HAL, Saigo said.
    Uchida had wanted to go up the Swiss Alps because a photo of the Matterhorn helped buoy his spirits during his convalescence, Saigo said.
    However, when he finally went to Switzerland in 1998 he could get no closer than a lake near the Matterhorn due to his disability.
    Seeing HAL last July, though, gave Uchida the idea about how he might finally realise his dream, Saigo said.
    Sounds like the perfect media boost this technology needs and it's a win-win situation! Uchida gets his dream, and Professor Yoshiyuki Sankai (the developer) gets some media attention to his product. (Assuming the expedition goes well)
    --
    A black cat crossing your path signifies that the animal is going somewhere. -- Groucho Marx
  2. Re:Great Name Choice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    This is false. The penis is neurologically controlled by a small region on the lower spinal cord. Even if disconnected from the brain it can still function. However, if the region is damaged, then no, it won't work. The human male brain only has indirect control of erection. But adept use of the imagination can achieve high levels of erectile manipulation.