Those boys at Engadget sure love their Japanese health care robots, publishing several great posts in the last few weeks. Now they’re telling us that the HAL 5 exoskeleton will be going into mass production early Q1 2007. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that nurses with super-human strength will have a greatly simplified task of lifting and moving patients. I just don’t want to be on the receiving end of an exoskeleton-assisted slap if I get a little short with the nurses.
HAL is originally developed to help elderly or disabled people walk around with their own legs and HAL-3 achieved the primary goal in 2000.
In 2005, the latest model HAL-5 was given upper body limbs as well as weight saving and more compact POWER units, longer life battery and much smaller control unit and spectacularly designed outer shells.
HAL is a robot suit which can expand and improve physical capabilities of human being. By wearing HAL-5 and you can hold up to 40 kg load by arms and can increase the maximum weight of leg press from 100 kg to 180 kg.
Note to Self: Always say please when writing orders if robotic nurses are present.
Read more at Engadget . . .
Check out HAL’s homepage . . .
Flashback: HAL 3
