Tag Archive for 'HAL robotic suit'

Inspiring Inventor: Yoshiyuki Sankai

jackson published on October 10, 2008 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , .

(pic via gizmodo.)

Yoshiyuki Sankai is the inventor of the HAL-5 robotic exoskeleton, as well as a lover of humanity and Peace.

MIT recently ran a profile on him containing this delightful little paragraph:

“Sankai has said one of his aims is to create technologies that are designed for the benefit of humankind, rather than for destructive purposes. He refused, for example, an offer from the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C., to work on a robot for military use and declined a similar offer from the government of South Korea. He followed through with plan to commercialize his HAL product via a venture firm he established through the University of Tsukuba called Cyberdyne, Inc. and continues to plow ahead with his research endeavors.”

Wow. When offered gobs of money and teams of underlings, he turned it down in favor of postponing the inevitable use of his technology to harm other humans. What a wonderful man.

Professor Sankai, your positivity has practically forced us to dust off the long-unused SuperForest Good Person Award!

You’ve more than earned it, good sir.
SuperForesters! Send some good energy into the ether for Professor Sankai! The world needs more like him.

Love to All,

Jackson and Team SuperForest

Robotic Suit for Rent in Japan!

jackson published on October 10, 2008 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , .

From the Associated Press’s Yuri Kageyama,

“TSUKUBA, Japan – A robotic suit that reads brain signals and helps people with mobility problems will be available to rent in Japan for $2,200 a month starting Friday – an invention that may have far-reaching benefits for the disabled and elderly.

HAL – short for “hybrid assistive limb” – is a computerized suit with sensors that read brain signals directing limb movement through the skin.

“We are ready to present this to the world,” said Yoshiyuki Sankai, a University of Tsukuba professor who designed HAL.

HAL comes in three sizes – small, medium and large – and also has a one-leg version for a 150,000 yen (US$1,500) monthly rental fee.”

Looky how it do:

Mmmmm! Maybe if I rent and wear one of these I can finally beat my Grandmama in a footrace. She’s wicked fast.

She do it like this, son:

Peeeeeeeeew!!! Like a rocket! Go Nanna!