The swank HAL (“Hybrid Assistive Limbs”) Cybernoid from Cyberdyne Inc. at the World Technology Summit today.
Developed at the University of Tsukuba, here are some of the photo captions from their promotional materials:
“Robot suit makes you a superman”
“With the Robot suit, we can push objects with big power.”
And next to a photo of our friend above carrying a lady like a newlywed couple:
“Let’s enjoy the princess holding!!”
I too welcome our cybernetically enhanced angsty teenage overlords!
Was there any functionality to the suit? Or cosmetics only?
Cybernaut Plug: I got to model some functional tech at SIGGRAPH, a bluetooth cell phone accessory outfit that transmitted hugs to friends outfits over the cell networks. There were sensors that picked up a hug, and actuators that recreated the hug.
Made by these people: http://www.cutecircuit.com/now/projects/wearables/fr-hugs/
oddwick: What? Lifting ladies is not functional?
another quote: "HAL has hidden potential to create various application fields and to become a huge business."
Sparky: They claim that it senses muscular intent from weak electical signals in the skin. So it moves in sync to amplify your motions.
The 100 volt system lasts 2 hours.
2 hours, pretty nice. That is getting into a workable range, as long as you can stay tethered most of the time and just need to pull away for limited periods.
Lifting girls? Literally or figuratively? With robo-muscles like that, I can tell Charles Atlas to shove it!
Great images! We all want to be like Ripley/Atlas… even Dr. Frankenfurter
Vanita: that’s you in the Alieness suit… but…. the outfit looks very, uh, male….
oddwick: Literally! Maybe there is a common dream of doing the "honeymoon carry"… and now you can with a quick strap-on of the robo-suit.
As an aside, the Estonians have a much simpler innovation for that market need…
I can’t parse the Japanese to find the "princess lifting" picture.
Here’s the FAQ all babelfish’d out for those of us who don’t speak Japanese. Of course, if you don’t speak babelfishese, you still might find it difficult to read. 😉
I saw the cyber-suit on James May’s Big Ideas.
The idea behind the development was for care workers to be able to lift elderly and disabled patients.
I have a friend who put her back out lifting her elderly father and ended up making a decision on her car purchase based on the ease of getting him in and out of it.
Hi, I’m an admin for a group called http://www.flickr.com/groups/1361821@N25/, and we’d love to have this added to the group!
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayne]
I saw the cyber-suit on James May’s Big Ideas.
The idea behind the development was for care workers to be able to lift elderly and disabled patients.
Hospitals already have hoists for lifting those people out of bed/chair/wherever. It wouldn’t be practical for care workers to take them in and out of their clients’ homes (the hoists that I have seen are heavy) but I’m not sure that the power suit would be much better. Get suit out of car, put it on, lift Mrs Jones out of bed, take suit off because it alarms the client, make her a cup of tea, put suit back in its box …
I have a friend who put her back out lifting her elderly father and ended up making a decision on her car purchase based on the ease of getting him in and out of it.
Good move.
—
Seen next to a fellow photo of the group "It’s All Wrong". (?)
The hoist being heavy is not a problem in a hospital or a purpose-built care home, because the hoist has wheels and the hospital or PBCH has smooth, level floors for pushing wheelchairs and beds around.
In a private house or a care home that’s been converted from some other purpose, then I can see how the suit could have the advantage. In the end it will probably come down to how much they cost, and how keen whoever pays for things is to keep infirm people in their own homes, instead of putting them into care.
—
Seen in my recent comments. (?)
Congrats Steve, you made it onto The Consumerist
consumerist.com/2011/07/frustrating-chat-with-a-comcast-r…
Leave a Reply to Vanita Cancel reply