Immobility Could Be Soon Be Overcome?

A Japanese Company called Cyberdyne, have invented a robot suit that they have called HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb).

When the brain sends signals to the muscles to move a limb, very weak signals can be picked up on the skin's surface and HAL can detect these and move the limbs for the person.

People who have been wheelchair bound for years can now move around again by wearing this robot suit. Cyberdyne are renting it out at $2000 per month but that should become cheaper if it proves popular. Care homes are showing a lot of interest in this and I hope it makes it to Britain.

This is a video of the suit in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ysb-Oko3Bg

The designer has been working for 20 years on this. It took him 3 years to identify the impulses linking the brain to leg movement and then another 4 years to perfect the timing of the signals to actual movement to the motor.



One chap, a stroke victim, hadn't been able to walk for years but could walk upstairs wearing HAL - what a difference to people's lives that this would make, joint problems as well wouldn't prevent people from being able to get out and about.

Marvellous stuff

Well done to the Professor who pioneered and perfected this system. What would we do without people like him!

Re: Immobility Could Be Soon Be Overcome?

Just fantastic and it will evolve even better in years to come .....

Re: Immobility Could Be Soon Be Overcome?

Isn't that incredible Patsy. When I saw it, I thought of my Nan who had been pretty immobile after she suffered a series of strokes - if something like that had been around, she could have stayed in her home instead of going into a nursing home.

Oh to have an ounce of that Professor's brainpower

Re: Immobility Could Be Soon Be Overcome?

Yes - good point, people being able to get around in their own home. It will progress from this to be even better, I'm sure of that !

Re: Immobility Could Be Soon Be Overcome?

Marvellous contraption.
I'm sure I heard of it some years ago, called something like 'skeleton robotic suit' (?) (Probably on Tomorrows World) but no matter, I'm sure it will come down in price too.

Re: Immobility Could Be Soon Be Overcome?

God bless people like the professor , what a difference that will make to people's lives

Re: Immobility Could Be Soon Be Overcome?

Just like I mentioned in the bionic hand thread you created technological advances are rushing ahead now at an incredible rate. It seems that something very advanced and very useful appears regularly now with capabilities that were unheard of only a short while ago.

This device is amazing but I bet a great many more such aids will appear soon. Very exciting times for technophiles.

Re: Immobility Could Be Soon Be Overcome?

I absolutely echo that sentiment lavender - just imagine being able to walk again after years of being in wheelchair or being able to lift something as simple as a teapot after Repetitive Strain Injury meant you couldn't do that. Fabulous invention

Re: Immobility Could Be Soon Be Overcome?

Strangely enough, I'm a techophobe but felt so pleased when I saw this - who knows which of us may have need of one!

BIB: wanna see something really spooky from the techies?

Re: Immobility Could Be Soon Be Overcome?

It is amazing technology. Could any of us afford one though ?