Japan ready to market Robot Suit

Japan ready to market "robot suit"
Thu Aug 21, 4:40 AM ET
TOKYO (AFP) - Japanese companies are preparing for the commercial launch of a "robot suit" that helps aged or physically disabled people walk, get up the stairs or seat themselves to relax without a chair.
Trading house Mitsui and Co. and some 30 other Tokyo firms plan to set up a joint-venture in April or May next year to market the powered suit developed by Yoshiyuki Sankai, professor and engineer at Tsukuba University, officials said Thursday.
"This is neither a robot in machine factories nor a one for amusement like a pet robot. This is a brand-new proposal projecting a future image of relations between people and robots," Sankai said.
"The suit practically supports people's life, focusing on the strong point of robots," Sankai said.
The powered suit, code-named HAL-3 (Hybrid Assistive Leg), consists of a computer and batteries in the backpack as well as four actuators attached around the knees and hip joints.


Credit: Aquatank.


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[Edited on 23-8-2003 by quaneeri]

That is awesome, just think what they will have in 50 years when I am all old and crusty, thank you god, I am going to have the cyborg ninja body I've dreamed of all these years, and maybe crazy laser eyes.


lol seriously though, very cool, I am glad to see some advances starting to happen again that could lead to something enormeous.

This is the first step to multiple uses for helping those who are in medical need BUT it also sets the "wheels" in motion for robotic armored/combat suits, etc.....
RoboTech anyone?

regards
seekerof

I can only hope, I'd enlist and die for rich old men if I got to pilot a gundam