Guys Upstairs - Tech

HAL is an acronym for “hybrid assistance limb.” It is a robotic suit with a computer at the user’s waist and mechanical braces strapped to the user’s legs. The computer weighs 22 pounds and runs on a battery. It uses sensors embedded in the suit to read through the user’s skin the brain signals that direct limb movement. Using these brain signals, the computer relays them to the mechanical leg braces, which assist the user in walking.

HAL was designed by Yoshiyuki Sankai, a University of Tsukuba professor and chief executive of Cyberdyne. Cyberdyne plans to mass-produce HAL. On Tuesday, the company had two people demonstrate the suits as well as a video showing a partially paralyzed person standing up from a chair and walking. Starting Friday, this robotic suit will be available to rent in Japan for $2,200 a month. There is no doubt that HAL will foster new technology that will benefit the disabled and elderly.

[Yahoo via Engadget]