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Coming Soon — Cyborg Farmers
palegray.net writes Robots.net covers an article about robotic exoskeletons for Japanese farmers. These exoskeletons would provide increased strength and support for manual labor intensive tasks. More information can also be found at robots-dreams.com. 'The robotic suit relies on ultrasonic motors along with various sensors and wireless networking gear. [...] The mass-produced version of the suit is expected to weigh in at 8 kilograms and cost about 200,000 yen.'"
200,000 Yen =~ $1800. Where is my exoskeleton. I would imagine something like the exoskeleton suit from the Aliens series would be quite useful.
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I thought the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture wasn't in charge of Gundam.
Are they just motors we can't hear? Or was the article written by a science illiterate who includes words that he thinks sound scientific?
and sometimes speak Bocce...
Not the first time Japanese agriculture spins out some interesting stuff. Check out their UAV helicopters: http://www.gizmag.com/go/2440/.
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
Something about this sounds fishy.... I find it hard to believe that it would cost less than $2,000 to turn in to RoboCop.
these robotic suits are used to record all the data necessary to train robots to do the same work?
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The Onion got it right.
Patrick Doyle
I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
you Bitch!!
I feel sorry for people that don't drink, because when they get up in the morning, that's as good as they're gonna feel
Also, at $1800 per, your not going to see people investing in these when they can just hire some cheap child labor.
I want to be able to upload mine with dance moves developed after my latest self-education in 1985 and have it teach them to me (motors on) then grade my progress (motors off).
This is the worst I've misread a summary yet... And oddly, probably the most accurate misread also.
I read it: "The mass-produced version of the weapon is expected"
Scary.
"If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
Will they be equipped with tentacles? Will Japanese schoolgirls flee in terror?
Have gnu, will travel.
I can't help but think (sorry, I work in the field): powerful motors strapped to a person's body, combined with "wireless network gear" (although this last bit is not in TFA)... hmmm, they better make sure this "suit" is intrinsically secure, ie it cannot possibly make motions exceeding the wearer's physical limits, not matter how badly the software malfunctions or is compromised. :/ /.), this looks cool indeed...
Otherwise we could very well have someone eventually end up in intensive care because of a computer virus infection.
That said, in a very geeky sense (hey, this is
I hope I wasn't really the ONLY one whose first thought was "well that pretty much decides the whole illegal immigrant discussion once the migrant workers get cybernetic exoskeletons"...
I, for one, welcome our cybernetic illegal immigrant overlords.
um... I mean... I, para uno, dan la bienvenida a nuestros overlords inmigrantes ilegales cibernéticos.
(thanks babelfish)
Japanese farmers driving exoskeletons?
Don't I seem to recall something else Japanese farmers are famous for?
Oh, that's right. Ninjas.
Nothing but awesome can come from this.
Yahoo! Pipes are awesome. How awesome? http://pipes.yahoo.com/jesdynf/slashdot
8kg is ridulously light for an exoskeleton that can increase the strength of its wearer significantly. The power source alone would have to be much heavier (its designed to work outdoors, so no wired power). For comparison, the Apollo space suits weighed about 80kg.
Or it could be an indication this is BS...
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
I thought they were celebrating BECAUSE they drove off invaders with them.
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
I'm no farmer, although I garden every once in a while. But as a cyborg I thank you for the overlordship you have bestowed on me.
Oh yeah - resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
The greatest life-changing benefit I can see for these are for the disabled - quadriplegics, paraplegics, stroke victims, those weakened by various conditions. They don't need super-strength, but being able to get around town without a walker or wheel-chair would be massively life-enhancing for millions. For astronauts on Fred, or future Mars explorers, these devices would help tremendously in extending their capabilities for assembly, and for exploration. Then of course, there are construction workers.
didn't they call it "HAL" or was that another robot assistant? What do you think you're doing Dave?
Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
While this suit is totally cool, I think bigger, mass-production robots like this rice-planting robot are far more practical. The robot suit is indeed a technological breakthrough, but I think robots that can help more than one person at a time are far more valuable. Or, check out these weed-killers.
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Maybe it's just me, but most robots I've seen aren't that strong. Most can be outdone pretty easily by a human the is in good shape. There are some strong robots, but they are extremely large, and not the kind that could be worked into a suit that would be worn by a human. Also, what advantage does this offer over typical farm machinery that isn't in a human exoskeleton form factor?
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
As I am a cyborg I think I can answer for you. No tentacles (although here in in Springfiels where the cartoons all live, who knows?). From my perspective the schoolgirls are safe (for now) but the middle aged women, well... since most of us cyborgs are geezers, your mom needs to, er, well, say HI to her for me would you?
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
No, they're equipped with testicles and yes Japanese schoolgirls will flee!
In America they grow mostly maize and wheat, which can be easily automated by dragging heavy machinery across the top of the soil. In Japan they grow mostly fruit and vegetables, which have to be carefully picked from the plants. Tractors are just not that useful to them, which is why they don't really use them. Harvesting is mostly done by hand because the land of genius automation has not been able to find a way to automate it - until now (maybe).
Here's a hint at the problems they have to deal with: the Japanese radish (one of their staple vegetables) is a foot long and about three inches wide. It takes a lot of careful pulling to get something that size out of the ground without damaging it.
Yes but, how will they fare against the Pirate-Monkey hybrid Farmers?
Pity the farmer's dogs.
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
Given the average farm hand needs 2000 calories to maintain homeostasis and at least that much for accoutrement (clothing, etc.), the machine has to run on less than 4000 calories a day of energy, including its energy investment as an object.
I'm not saying one way or the other, but the analysis needs to be made before we can welcome such cyborg farmworker overlords.
RS
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
I watched a movie about this recently. "RoboCrop", I think it was called.
Its a motor assisted weight lifting harness ("exoskeleton"? come on...) for aging farmers who struggle with manual farming tasks due to decreased muscle strength. Given the average height of the generation its aimed at and the tasks its designed for (pulling radishes out of the ground, lifting 10Kg sacks of rice) it hardly amounts to Robocop or Gundam. Nevertheless I hope it doesn't run Windows as its OS, if it has an OS. I would hate to see elderly farmers brought into hospitals with their limbs rotated at strange angles.
This is a sure sign things are getting bad in Japan. Back in the day farmers would just have a bunch of children and they'd help out on the farm. So now instead of rutting their wives and getting some help the old fashioned way Farmers have to turn to cyborg technology.
It's all well and good for the current generation but who'll tend the fields when the Cyborg's dead and buried?
I have nothing compelling to say
The point of a machine is to reduce the need for manual labor
Tell that to the Japanese. They have this ultranerd complex that makes them want robots where robots aren't needed. The Sirius Cybernetics Corporation is surely a Japanese company. "the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation defines a robot as 'your plastic pal who's fun to be with'."
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
8kg is ridulously light for an exoskeleton that can increase the strength of its wearer significantly. The power source alone would have to be much heavier (its designed to work outdoors, so no wired power). For comparison, the Apollo space suits weighed about 80kg.
If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
Don't shoot yourself, suicide is still illegal.
mcgrew's razor: Never attribute to stupidity that which can be explained by greedy self-interest
I think this has the potential to be helpful and profitable to the US with a growing elderly population. We need exoskeletions to help prevent all of those pesky broken bones and to augment those atrophied muscles. Imagine a world where instead of having those ugly motor-scooters the elderly were fitted with exoskeletons.
Japan GDP per capita is $33000 (2006 est.)
Japan's GINI index is 38.1 .
GINI is a measure of inequality of income distribution or inequality of wealth distribution. The lower, the more equally GDP is distributed.
In Japan 127,433,494 people are packed in 374,744 sq km. Compare that to the US, in which 301,139,947 people are spread over 9,161,923 sq km.
Housing in Japan costs 3-5 times more than it costs in US. Japanese compensate by living in tiny apartments.
US's GDP per capita is GDP $43,800 (2006 est.)
US's GINI is 45, which is not that bad when compared to Japan's, especially if one considers Norway's or Sweden's GINI (25-26).
I would not call the Japanese the wealthiest people in the world.
Wanna find out which nation has the wealthiest population? Start looking towards the direction of UAE and Norway.
References:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ja.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
This is just what we need. A cheap exo-skeleton that anyone can buy and wear all the time. Once it becomes popular people will think they are the six million dollar man, lifting things over their heads.
Of course over the next couple of hundred years we will evolve into nothing more than a brain and some nerve endings that will activate the exo-skeleton's. Wonder when they will start making them look like Daleks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalek
The Agriculture Ministry is not in charge of Gundam
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
If a corporation can get 3 time the work out of an employee
they can terminate 2/3 of the work force
so lets say each employee makes 30k per year and you have 100
over 3 years that's 1,980,000 in payroll you don't have to pay
-- I am the NRA, enough said...
The source article says 18 kg, not 8 kg. 8 kilo might get you a wheelbarrow.
"weighs 18 kg (just under 40 pounds)"
- http://www.robots-dreams.com/2008/01/new-robot-suit.html
Then those kids would REALLY get off your lawn.
Once the machines do all of our farming, transportation of goods, preservation of goods, and reparation of other machines.. There is nobody left to pay for food.. One giant, self filling, solar powered vending machine. Eventually they'll build our houses, and basic citizenship will include food and shelter.
Must make sure my Old Glory Insurance is current.
"Vaporators! Sir - My first job was programming binary load lifters... very similar to your vaporators in most respects."
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
Tell that to the Japanese. They have this ultranerd complex that makes them want robots where robots aren't needed. The Sirius Cybernetics Corporation is surely a Japanese company. "the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation defines a robot as 'your plastic pal who's fun to be with'."
Complex like making a cup of tea?
Get away from her, you B*tch !!
In other major currencies 200 000 yen is approximately
950 UK Pounds
1250 Euros
44850 Rubles
72300 Rupees
13400 Yuan
20150 Mexican Pesos
HAL.
Got them moderator blues I blieve I walk out the do', With these mod-points I been gettin', I 'most never post no mo'
Try picking strawberries with a tractor. There's a lot of hand-picked produce out there still, and that's quite literally back breaking labor. Some sort of mechanical support could make farming a whole lot more humane. Of course in our economy, we have illegal immigrants to pick our fruit and nobody cares about their knees anyway.
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khasim (12/9/06): In a blind taste test, more people preferred Coke over the Pepsi that I had previously pissed in.
The definition of a cyborg is someone with embedded or implanted
technolgy.
They are not cyborgs, but robotic assisted workers.
Just because I use a car to drive to work does not make me a cyborg.
But,..If I had my legs permently intergrated into a go-cart, that might
make me a cyborg.
I wonder if they will ever make a remote control for this thing?
... speed him up.
Worker not picking potatoes fast enough
Worker getting too close to your daughter, make him kiss the ground.
All without leaving the comfort of your front window!
The reason for this stupidity according to my friend: Japan (as admittedly a lot of countries do) has protectionist policies in place forcing rice and other crops to have to be produced in Japan. The cost of japanese rice versus the average is 7 times, but they have to produce it. Apparently it is cheaper to ruin the backs of people in a first world country then to risk not having control of your food supply - because you buy it from the close third world countries - in the advent of a war. Admittedly if I was like Japan and had crazies for neighbours (North Korea/China, government not the people) whom I recently pissed off by invading I might be worried about war preparedness as well.
Rutabagas coming in nicely... BOOYAH!
Is where is it going to be ABLE to work at? According to my guesstimates, the weight per square inch that will be applied with even 50% of the nominal working load would be roughly triple the amount a 4 wheel cart. We're talking two footpads, roughly 250% larger than the human foot. You know that we exert a lot of pounds/square inch on our feet so that is why they are so articulate. The feet on this monster would probably be semi flexible pads that would not be as flexible, therefore be rougher than hell on any terrain.
If you put one of those units onto unprepared ground (a field, dry or wet soil) it'll churn up the grasses and make bare ground. When it becomes wet, you get mud. Finally the lifter would sink up to it's knees because of its high load footprint. Take a Mule or a similarly tracked vehicle and it'll just dance across the terrain on either tracks of balloon tires.
I can see lifters at work on concrete or similarly prepared ground, but not out the boondocks where it'll get hung in the mud or swamp.
First rule of holes; When in one, stop digging.
Someone made a good point. This suit will come in handy for older folks. Japan has a low birth rate, long life expectancy and the government is encourage people to work after retirement.
Don't they watch their own movies in Japan? They know how this is going to end! Egad.
At least we'll know what to do when ice-beam wielding aliens invade the farmlands.
In Korea only old people wear robotic exoskeletons....
love is just extroverted narcissism
I, for one, welcome our cyborg farmer overlords!
If you were going to go this far for manual labor, why not take it a step further and motion capture it for use with an AI driven control system later on. As long as the system knows the proper motions and when/where to apply them, the exoskeleton should be able to do the work itself as a playable macro.
8==8 Bones 8==8
"I am an essential worker"
Next time your dentist needs to drill a cavity in your mouth, can I suggest he use this little puppy to do the job: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tete-de-foreuse-p1010268.jpg. It's right in keeping with your suggest for a 30 series John Deere in a Japanese hort crop.
So, will this be a tool that you can buy in the upcoming Wii version of Harvest Moon? So that your lazy little guy will stop pooping out after roughly 2 minutes of labor?
Pirate 1: Arr, those be a nice pegleg and hook ye got thar.
Pirate 2:Yarr, they cost me an arm and a leg.
There are less young people going into farming these days. These suits will be good for aging farmers as well as maybe making it less backbreaking or more interesting to young people I'd think too.
Of course the real robotic farmer that can plant rice by himself? I dunno, the Emperor does that himself you know, can the robot really plant delicious rice? Rice has a spiritual place in Japanese religion too.
But my guess is this would be an excellent way to really test robots in the field especially when you aren't supposed to be military really.
That's odd, Mario always made it seem so easy. It must have been because he was dreaming at the time.
A turtles shell does not have muscles in it.
In an indirect fashion, this exoskeleton does have "muscles" and is indirectly tied into the wearers CNS.
They ARE out to get you simply because They are in it for themselves and they don't care about you.