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Robot Body Suit To Be Marketed In Japan
destinyland writes "A Japanese company is preparing limited mass production of a cybernetic bodysuit which dramatically increases user strength up to ten times. The "Hybrid Assistive Limb" suit synchronizes movements of a mechanical exoskeleton to biological nerve signals detected by biopads on the body. (Originally envisioned for people with disabilities, the suit also has industrial applications, and the company is planning annual production of 400 units at $4,200 apiece.) Its battery life is five hours, according to the company's web site, which promises they're also opening an EU branch to begin sales outside of Japan."
Hybrid Assisted Limb? Or H-A-L for short? HAL?
I'm waiting for the model 9000.
FTFA. There's a demonstration at about 3:40.
No, I had the same thought too. Then I saw "Cyberdyne" and "HAL". Sigh, it's either a joke or the beginning of armageddon.
Not sure which I'd prefer.
The point would be to let someone lift objects they can normally handle with less fatigue on the muscles. So an activity that someone used to be able to do for only say 15mins they can now do for hours without feeling tired.
This is just wrong... HAL was developed in Urbana, Illinois, most likely through research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sheesh.
512 MB RAM, 20 GB disk, 200 GB transfer, five datacenters. $19.95/month.
This has been around for a few years. Their wiki page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAL_5's earliest entry is from 2005, as was the earliest event date listed in the company web site http://www.cyberdyne.jp/English/events/index.html.
It's $4000, so it's not out of range for a really cool toy.
I wonder if you could get a paintball cannon as well? :D
From the picture in the linked article, it's pretty obvious that this is indeed an exoskeleton - it has bottom support (from underneath the feet) all the way up to the arms.
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
Yeah, I second that. Apparently they're only happy with the Japanese making new toys if they stay in their own country.
Holy mother of mercy, I checked out some links on that site and... wow... nutjob central on the border of insane row.
Crikey.
Before someone goes and dreams of a Steve Austin experience: You can't carry more. You can't lift a car, unless that "wearable robot" also comes with an exoskelet that can carry that weight.
Lifting power is not only muscle power. It is also required that you are able to endure the stress that additional weight puts on your system.
Their website and video seem to disagree with you
http://www.cyberdyne.jp/english/faq/index.html
Q: How much does "HAL" multiply one's strength?
A: It depends on the type of "HAL" you wear, but roughly speaking, "HAL" can multiply the original strength by a factor of 2 to 10.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&v=ynL8BCXih8U
Skip to 3 minutes 20 seconds
Before someone goes and dreams of a Steve Austin experience: You can't carry more. You can't lift a car, unless that "wearable robot" also comes with an exoskelet that can carry that weight.
Too bad you didn't read the fucking summary which contains the word "exoskeleton".
-1, WhatAnIdiot
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Please editors change the link. This is pretty bad for /. :S