Meet HAL, by HAL it means "Hybrid Assisted Limb". HAL, meet readers. HAL is created and unveiled by Japanese company Cyberdyne in June 2005. This exoskeleton suit is worn and strapped close to the body, then- WALA! You have stronger liiiimmmbbbsss! They assist users on everyday tasks, such as walking up and down stairs, standing, running, or maybe even carrying giant jugs of water to nowhere. Who is it primarily for? Old people. And the disabled. Wheelchair. Cane. Or soldiers in the battlefield. Shouldn't stop you from getting one though. It works by sensing the microsignals emitted from brain (and sensed on the skin itself) that tells your own limbs to move, and the suit follows suit. That rectangular square on the back is a supercomputer that translates bio-signals to suit-movements. The suit can go for almost five hours before it gives out. Make sure you're in a safe place when it does. Hmm, maybe that suit needs a panic/call button.When they start to sell to the public, a single leg version rents for $1,570 a month, while a two-leg unit goes for $2,300 a month, and $4,200 for the entire suit. I wonder how much would the warranty be on that?? I better be covered if I'm going to run around Hulk-style! HULK SMASH. (Via H+)
Check out the video demonstration below to see man walking around awkwardly with HAL:
You can always count on the military to develop superhuman and super-awesome technology. I say, war is such great motivator of science and robotics for countries. The military hired a team at Raytheon Sarcos to build an exoskeleton called Sarcos XOS, announced on May 2009. It can lift 200 lbs easily and is way more agile than HAL (sorry HAL), anything from jumping jacks, sprint, jump, punch punching bags can be done. Basically anything agile thing you want to agile. Maybe we can even roll around the grass... and make grass angels with it. The suit is still in development, but the military hopes to start field testing this year. (Via Popular Science)Watch video of the suit in action below. The future models look uncannily like Master Chief of HALO by the way.
Meet ‘Power Loader’ exoskeleton suit announced around September of 2009 by ActiveLink, an affiliate company of Panasonic. Inspired from Alien movie, this monster can easily lift 220lbs and will be used for construction and rescue mission purposes by 2015. It's still in the developmental stages so expect that number to increase dramatically when it hits the market. Too bad it moves like a slug. Looks cool though. Maybe we can scare a few enemies away with it by slowly waving it back and forth in the air and make rabid animal noises. (via Gizmodo) Video Below:
Our man in 20 years. Who's going to go mutate a spider for the sake of WORLD BALANCE?
