(image credit: Cyberdyne)
if you haven’t heard, Cyberdyne‘s Robot Suit HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) is a ‘cyborg-type’ robot that aims to expand and improve human being’s physical capability. at the first glance, the suit resembles the Metal Gear Solid Raiden’s exoskeleton suit, albeit being more bulkier. so how does it works? when a person attempts to move, this intention triggers the brain to send nerve signals to the muscles via motoneuron which in turns, move the body’s musculoskeletal system.
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it is these signals that the HAL system detects, interprets the intention which enables the robotic suit to move in conjunction with the wearer’s desired intention. what makes the HAL system stands out is it has an alternative movement method known as the robotic autonomous control system where the suit takes charge, so to speak, of the movement. it’s kind of like the predictive input in our mobile phone text messaging. the robotic suit anticipate the movement, referencing from its database, and assist the wearer in executing the movement. which makes it the perfect equipment for rehabilitation and physiotherapy applications.
other area of applications includes support for disabled people, heavy lifting work and rescue support for disaster sites. the battery powered HAL measures 1.6-meter tall and comes in two variants, a lower body only version and the full body version. this wearable robot weighs in at just 15-kg and 23-kg for the lower body only version and the full body version, respectively. HAL is capable of a range of motions which include standing up from seating position, walking, climbing of stairs, holding and lifting of heavy objects et cetera and has an approximately two hours and forty minutes of operational time under continuous usage.
HAL development will no doubt pave the way for more advanced and rugged systems which will definitely see an even wider applications such as military and logistical applications. human has long dream of super human strength, and with the recent developments in exoskeleton suit, this dream may not be too far away. some may argue that the technology is here. we’d say ‘yes’ and ‘no’. ‘yes’, because there are working examples and ‘no’ because we have yet to achieve the mobility, ideal operational run time and strength.
