“When a person attempts to move, nerve signals are sent from the brain to the muscles via motoneuron (sic), moving the musculoskeletal system as a consequence,” explains the English-language section of the Cyberdyne Web site. “At this moment, very weak biosignals can be detected on the surface of the skin. ‘HAL’ catches these signals through a sensor attached on the skin of the wearer.”
Cyberdyne says the HAL-5 model weighs about 50 pounds, though it supports its own weight, and increases the wearer’s strength up to 10-fold. It runs on battery power and can go nearly 3 hours before needing a recharge.
The U.S. military has been trying to develop robotic exoskeletons for decades to help soldiers carry heavy loads or move at high speeds.
But at a suggested retail price of about $4,000 (for Japanese residents only, and not yet available), the HAL “robot suit” may be the first aimed at civilians.
Cool. Get that working with rocket boosters and I’ll one day be one bad octogenarian. I got your bingo right here!
