Back in October, some rather interesting news came out of Japan. It appears that a research company known as Cyberdyne produced a robot suit named HAL. No joke, the company is seriously named after the company from Terminator franchise that developed Skynet and the robot suit – who’s name stands for Hybrid Assisted Limb – is named after the HAL 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Still, the company is the legit and the new robotic suit is quite impressive. Like many before it, it is a powered suit that gives the wearer enhanced strength and protection. But unlike previous models, this one comes equipped with a network of sensors that monitor the electric signals coming from the wearer’s brain, allowing them to seamlessly control the suit’s movements.

This is expected to remedy a problem which has plagued exoskeletons since their inception, which is the problem of speed. While all exos allow for greater strength and load-bearing capacity, the motors that power the limbs tend to respond slowly to the users commands. By anticipating the wearer’s movements by reading them directly from the brain, this new suit will be able to move in synchronicity with the wearer’s limbs.

The suit is also expected to be helpful with Japan’s ongoing cleanup efforts with the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. In addition to the new mind-control interface, the suit’s load-bearing capacities are expected to come in handy for workers who are forced to wear a 60 kg (132 lbs) tungsten vest while working in radiation zones. Even for a husky man, that’s quite the load to bear on top of all the additional weight they’ll need to be carrying.

Naturally, there are anticipated hazards as well, like what will happen if the power supply were to suddenly run out. Essentially, the wearer would be trapped inside. However, these and other bugs are expected to be addressed before any units are pressed into service. And with luck, suits like these could available for HazMat workers, construction crews, and people who work in dangerous conditions in just a few years time.

Source: japandailypress.com