Starting this Friday, disabled and elderly people in Japan will be able to rent a robotic suit to help them become more mobile. Available in a two-leg (for a $2200-per-month rental fee) or one-leg version ($1500/month), the suit -- called HAL, for Hybrid Assistive Limb -- reads brain signals and directs leg movement.
Yoshiyuki Sankai, the creator of the robot suit, is a professor at the University of Tsukuba and the CEO of Cyberdyne, which is manufacturing and renting the suits.
In a report at Cyberdyne.jp, Sankai explains: "[there are] faint bio-signals on the surface of the skin when human brain tries to move the exoskeleton. The signals are detected and the robot suit moves to support the action."
The HAL suit includes a 22-pound battery worn on the waist to power the leg braces, enabling the wearer to climb stairs and walk for long distances. In a demo held this week, Cyberdyne showed how a man with partial leg paralysis could use the device. Sankai says the suit will not be made available for military or other purposes.
Cyberdyne did not reveal the cost to develop or manufacture the robot, but the company plans to sell and rent the device on a broad scale in Japan as a way to help those who need more mobility.
It's not clear when, if ever, the HAL robotic suit will be available outside of Japan.

Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.


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The exoskeleton robot is not an original idea. However, discovering how to read the bio-electrical signals of the skin is a technological feat in cyborg research. A few more years down the road, and remotely-controlled humanoid machines using the bio-electrical signals of a human controller will become reality. One application that comes to mind is doing tasks in dangerous or hostile environments. For example, an astronaut-explorer on Mars could control a robot to do some tasks, while the astronaut is inside his command module.
This type of machine control is more intuitive and natural than joystick-type remote control systems of today. Having the technology to transfer complex human movements efficiently and quickly to a remote machine further expands human capabilities, don't you think?
Cyberdyne? Next thing you know this company will be pumping out terminators :)
I like how he is not making it available for military purposes, "Sankai says the suit will not be made available for military or other purposes." I think medical purposes would be nice however, and we all know the technology will make it to the military, but I like how he took a stance on that aspect. Other than that I think the recognition of signals to movement is awesome, and I can't wait to see what these upcoming years bring in technology.
Nice work. 'Gratz to everyone's perseverance on building this one.
This reminds me somewhat of the SCV unit in Starcraft. =)
I agree with shellshock that this could be used for space exploration. So close now to being cyborg technology....
Although, we'd run out of oxygen sooner than the batteries for this one's drained.
There's robotic artificial limbs now... what's next? Hook it up to a lab-grown brain to maximize its potential for deep space? That's funny and scary at the same time... XD
Wait a minute, this thing is named HAL? And made by Cyberdyne? this must be the biggest threat to humanity since ... well something.
Imagine the following scenarios:
You are wearing the suit, it pulls your hand out whipping into someone's head killing them. At the trial while on the stand trying to explain it wasn't you your suit says "these things have always been due to ... human ... error"
You are all excited because you found the secret plan they have to take over humanity. You are about to call the FBI when your suit forces you to sit down. "Relax, take a stress pill" it says, as your suit moves your hands to open the bottle of sleeping pills and pours them in your mouth.
And it goes without saying anyone named Dave who wears this is going to die.
Anyone here read Iain M. Banks? There's an amazing wayward-robot-suit scene in one of his novels.
Not available to the military, my ass.
Starship Troopers here we come.
I want one.
How do we know we can fully control this....wat if somthing happens?
What keeps it from taking control of us?
it says it reads brain signals....what if it controls our brain?
creepy just like 2001 space odessy....HAL
-THE KID
HAL from Cyberdyne...this kid watches way to many american movies...real original kid. real original.
forget military uses (it has them alright) think what you could do with this in construction take one person to place an I-beam instead of a team.
I hope it's light since there's a 22 pound battery on HAL. I feel bad for those that have to walk around with that much weight on plus the additional suit. It would probably be a little bit more in weight than the battery pack.
AndromedaStorm
Two words. TERMINATOR SCENARIO