Robot Suit HAL To Enter Into Mass Production!!!!!!!

by **J The Kidd** Fri Oct 10, 2008 12:49 am

In October 2008 a Japanese company will become the first in the
world to begin mass-producing a robot that assists humans in moving
their limbs.Click HERE for more pics, videos and info...

A research team led by University of Tsukuba Professor Sankai Yoshiyuki
has developed the device, which is called Robot Suit HAL (Hybrid
Assistive Limb) TM. Sankai is the CEO of Cyberdyne Inc., the company
that plans to begin making this robot suit available for rental through
sales outlets.

How the Robot Suit Works

Manufacturing robots and realistic humanoid robots are just two of the
numerous kinds of robots that are already in use. A robot suit is a
wearable device that dramatically increases the strength of the wearer.
Robot Suit HAL is worn over the arms and legs and assists body movement
through eight electric motors attached to shoulders, elbows, knees, and
the waist.

As it supports the wearer's own limb movements, the robot suit must
detect how the wearer is trying to move his or her arms and legs and
quickly respond. Most of the robots that have been developed so far in
this field rely on sensors to detect motion and then activate motors.

This method, however, has some drawbacks. First, there is a slight time
lag from when the wearer moves a muscle to when the robot responds.
Second, people who are unable to move their arms and legs can't use
such a robot at all. These issues had been viewed as obstacles to a
wide commercialization of robot suits. Robot Suit HAL, however, has
overcome these limitations using a unique method that senses
bioelectric signals sent from brain, rather than detecting muscle
movements.

When you want to move your body, your brain sends out an electric
signal that is received by your muscles, which then contract, thus
producing motion. This electric signal travels to the muscles via the
body's nerves, generating a slight voltage of electricity on the
surface of the skin. This is known as a bioelectric signal, and Robot
Suit HAL detects them using the sensors placed around the wearer's
body. Depending on the voltage running the surface of the skin, the
computer inside Robot Suit HAL analyzes the signal and sets the
appropriate motors in motion.

A Variety of Potential Uses

This unique method of operation means that a person can control Robot
Suit HAL by his or her own will, even if he or she is unable to
actually move. And as the suit detects the signal sent from the brain
even before it gets to the muscle, it can move an instant before the
muscle does.

When a person wearing Robot Suit HAL picks up an object that weighs 40
kg, he/she feels as if it weighed only a few kilograms. Robot Suit HAL
is therefore expected to have a wide range of applications, such as
assisting carers, helping people with physical disabilities to move,
and assisting people performing jobs that require a great deal of
physical strength. In order to facilitate the commercialization
process, Professor Sankai and others formed Cyberdyne Inc. in 2004. In
October 2008, the company plans to move into a factory currently under
construction that will allow them to manufacture up to 500 suits a year.

Several other types of robot suits are also under development in Japan.
Toyama Shigeki, a Professor of Tokyo University of Agriculture and
Technology, leads a team that is currently developing a power-assist
suit, which will be used to help agricultural work. Their goal is to
place the product on the market within the next few years. In addition,
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. has set up Activelink Co., a venture
business, to work to develop power-assist suits. (August 2008)