A Japanese company offers for rent a robotic suit that reads signals from the brain and helps the elderly and disabled walk more easily
From now on, the elderly and those with disabilities will be able to perform basic actions such as walking more easily, with the help of robotic technology that converts signals from the brain into robotic movement. The idea was developed by Professor Yoshiyuki Sankai from the University of Tsukuba, who serves as CEO of the Cyberdyne company that manufactures and rents the suits.
Professor Sankai Explains that when the human body activates the skeleton, there are subtle biological signals that pass through the skin. The robotic suit receives these signals and supports the desired actions.
The system is called HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) and includes a battery and a 22-pound computer system that is strapped around the waist. According to the company, the suit is not heavy since the robotic legs bear the full weight. The company held a demonstration for journalists and released a film in which a person with partial paralysis of a leg is seen using a suit to walk and go down stairs.
This robotic technology was developed for the benefit of the general public in general and those suffering from mobility disabilities in particular, Senkai refuses to share the technology with military officials and he rejected requests from military officials who were interested in the development.
Cyberdin does not publish the production costs of the suit nor the selling price of the product, currently the revenue model is based on rental only. The suit models for rent come in three sizes - small, medium and large, and in a configuration that includes one leg (at a monthly cost of 150,000 yen - $1,500) or two legs (at a monthly cost of 220,000 yen - $2,200).
As of today, Cyberdin intends to rent its suits to Japanese citizens only and it is not certain when (if at all) the suits will be marketed abroad, although there is interest from European and American bodies.
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An excellent solution for elderly millionaires - and as they say - if you are elderly you must be rich
There is no doubt that the army will someday be able to get its hands on this technology, think of an agile battalion of bionic soldiers each of whom can carry weapons with a total weight of 200 kg and jump with the ease of a doe over fences and obstacles and run 4 times faster than a normal soldier... .
It is good for infantrymen who carry tens of kg of equipment
That's great
You have no idea how many people this will help and get them back on their feet. and will give them back the freedom of mobility and the active circle of life.
Many people today use a wheelchair but they are not paralyzed.
Just because they have no other ability for mobility (from family experience) they are doomed to be confined to the house and not accessible to many places.
I have always said that medicine extends life expectancy but their quality deteriorates and finally something that will also give quality.
The question is when with us?
A very useful development, the question is whether the mechanism of reading brain signals works with perfect precision, maybe it would be better to start with such a suit with auto/manual control.