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Paralyzed Man Hits the Streets of NYC In a New Exoskeleton
the_newsbeagle writes: Robert Woo was paralyzed in 2007 when a construction crane dropped a load of steel on him. Yesterday, he put on the newest "exoskeleton," essentially a pair of smart robotic legs, and strolled out into a busy Manhattan sidewalk. He was demoing the ReWalk 6.0, a $77,000 device that he plans to buy for home use.
The motors, sensors, software and batteries of this product are no doubt top end. They also must bear the weight of a regulatory approval process that makes people safe. That means a fall chance of zero because falls can cause significant damage. If you see a thousand dollar version understand the difference - commercial motors, slower response time, less redundancy, less battery life and occasional failures.
They're techno trousers, ex-NASA, fantastic for walkies!
Perhaps that is actually a battery pack? I'd imagine something like this would need a lot of power if you want to go very far with it (and not risk collapsing in the middle of the street somewhere)
I don't care if it's 90,000 hectares. That lake was not my doing.
Call me back if you get paralysed from the waist down, and then tell me you're not impressed.
What is it with some people? Does "not being impressed" make you feel better than everyone else because your standards are so much higher?
I bet the fax machine is nothing but a waffle iron with a phone attached to you...
systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
I clicked the link and looked at pictures but I promise - I did not read one single word of the article. I am no heretic. I hope it makes some serious noises going down the street. Anyhow, I want a pair of these and I am not even paralyzed. I would go stomping down the street making robot noises. I don't even do drugs (anymore) and I would still do it. Though I suppose I would prefer a pair that did not also require crutches.
Those are the same style of crutches that I got after I had my knee surgery. They took a little bit to get used to but I found them much more usable than the traditional types after I acclimated. I wonder if they are required or if they are a safety measure because these may fail as they are prototypes.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
... if you're paralysed and stuck in a wheelchair I'd imagine that even a walk just down to the bottom of the street and back would feel like a life changing experience.
Its good to see some genuinely useful robotics applications coming out instead of trivial gimmicks such as japanese robotic hotel receptionists.