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Tokyo Students Design a New Robotic Muscle Suit

Posted by samzenpus on from the we-can-make-it-better dept.

angry tapir writes "Students at Tokyo's University of Science have developed a new version of their muscle suit, a wearable robotic suit that assists the muscles when carrying out strenuous tasks. The original version of the suit, which has been in production for several years, provides assistance to the arms and back but the new version provides assistance to the back only. That means it is lighter and more compact than the original model."

9 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. progression from muscle shirts by Blue+Shifted · · Score: 2, Funny

    when i was a teenager and actually had muscles, i thought i was cool in a "muscle shirt". now that i'm old and have no muscles and a beer belly, i can wear a muscle suit! with a "power" tie, of course...

    1. Re:progression from muscle shirts by Blue+Shifted · · Score: 2, Funny

      well, i look at the past with beer goggles too.

  2. Re:Huh? 15kg? by Psaakyrn · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I believe this is more marketed to those unfortunates who can't, like the elderly or muscle-damaged.

  3. structural support? by DavMz · · Score: 5, Interesting
    It provides muscular support, but what about structural support?

    I suffered from a slipped disk last year, and how much it was safe to carry was not limited by muscular strength, but by how much my back could take.

  4. Pretty Impressive by KazW · · Score: 5, Informative

    The student demoing the suit could do 30kg (~66lb) on his own, and 50kg (~110lb) assisted by the suit, that's a 60% increase in lifting capacity... Maybe MJOLNIR armor isn't too far off... Dibs on serial # 117.

    P.S. I mean something that looks more kickass than this: http://dvice.com/archives/2007/01/reallife_halo_suit_is_develope.php

    --
    Geeks don't grock information, they grep it.
  5. Video here by angry+tapir · · Score: 4, Informative
    There's also a video of it in action here. (It wasn't up when I originally submitted the story.)

    cheers,
    A. Tapir.

  6. Color me Unimpressed by phantomcircuit · · Score: 3, Informative

    That student really could not hold 110lbs of rice?

    REALLY?

    I'm calling shenanigans

  7. Excellent tool for finding Sarah Connor by mykos · · Score: 5, Funny

    This invention may someday prove to be useful for killing Sarah Connor.

  8. +5 STR, +5 CON by beatsme · · Score: 2, Funny

    Because the Old Robotic Muscle Suit we've been using all this time just isn't good enough anymore.