Exoskeletons in IEEE Spectrum

Rob the Bold writes "October IEEE Spectrum magazine (print and online) reports on worldwide developments in exoskeleton technology. Applications include mobility for the disabled, increased lifting power for cargo loaders and nurses, and faster running capability. Developments in the US, Europe and Asia are reviewed." From the article: "Today, in Japan and the United States, engineers are finally putting some practical exoskeletons through their paces outside of laboratories. But don't look for these remarkable new systems to bust bricks or spew lightning. The very first commercially available exoskeleton, scheduled to hit the market in Japan next month, is designed to help elderly and disabled people walk, climb stairs, and carry things around. Built by Cyberdyne Inc., in Tsukuba, Japan, this exoskeleton, called HAL-5, will cost about 1.5 million yen (around US $13 800)."

I call bs...

[kisielk]

Just check out their website: http://www.cyberdyne.jp/ENG/ [cyberdyne.jp]. Looks like an amateur hack...
The photos indicate the all important GLOWING RING JOINTS on the exoskeleton, no doubt the first feature to be implemented. If you look at the corporate info, the company was founded in June of 2004, and has a capital of 10M JPY.. which looks big at first sight, until you consider it's just a little under 90k USD. Looks to me as if they're pulling our leg, especially considering how little real info there is here. I won't even get in to the no doubt intentionally comedic naming of the company and its "product". Also check out this pic: http://www.cyberdyne.jp/Image/sakurai_double.JPG [cyberdyne.jp], yeah.. that exoskeleton is definitely necessary to lift a 90 lb. Japanese girl..

Re:I call bs...

[Anonymous Coward]

Notice too in the picture that the supposed load-bearing structure of the device ends at the ankle rather than transfering the downward force of a load to the floor. Not what I would call structurally sound design.

Popular Mechanics circa 1962

[GuyFawkes]

There was an article about various sorts of exoskeleton, including actual photohraphs of one with a human being inside it, and it was doing heavy cargo lifting... the article said they were developed for the US Army.

I was only a kid at the time, and soon forgot all about it.

Then I saw Alien 2 or 3 whichever it was, and Ripley gets into this big yellow exoskeleton, and I was instantly zapped back to being a small boy reading pop mechanics and seeing pictures of a human being in a damn near identical construct.***

"Aaaah" I thought, "the special effects guys are my age and read PM too"

I really cannot be any more accurate about the date, but I can recall other articles in the same time period, the flying car, the PM 38 speedboat (which my dad built), which might be enough for a PM buff to trace it.

So really this is not news, or even new, it's 40+ years old and predates the Apollo program.

*** I grew up to be an engineer, like my dad, and now I understand that compared to a cargo lifter of wheels, eg a fork lift, all these exoskeleton designs will be horribly inefficient mechanically and far more expensive to make and maintain, so no conspiracy theory needed to explain why they are hidden away in area 51 and on the sekret moon base

balance is trivial

[WindBourne]

Building the suit with a large number of control points and still able to handle 500-1000 lbs for at least an hour or two, that will the interesting part [segway.com]