Maybe it’s not quite as uber-strong as the HAL exoskeleton already is but the Tokyo University of Science’s Muscle Suit is still nothing to be laughed at. Exchanging actual muscle usage for gadgetry, the powered suit lets you lift things your normally couldn’t on your own. On the International Robot Exhibition 2009 in Tokyo Big Sight it made its official public debut.
The 'Muscle Suit' developed by the Tokyo University of Science's Kobayashi laboratory caught many visitors by surprise when a demonstrator in the suit lifted a 50-kilogram bag of rice with ease. Its artificial rubber muscle can be contracted and relaxed using air pressure. As it allows humans to lift heavy things easily, the technology is expected to be helpful in assisting the physically disabled and the aged, or reducing the physical burden on factory workers engaged in heavy labor.
The actual suit only weighs 3 Kilos but if you want to wear it you also need to carry around an air compressor and regulator which are required to activate the pneumatics. Thus the suit is not portable so far and unlikely to be used in the agrarian field but it will likely find insdustrial uses.
It’s also not commercial yet, so there is no price published, but very likely this little sub-market will be blowing up in the next few years as industrialists try to come up with new ways to make their poor workers more productive.
The actual suit only weighs 3 Kilos but if you want to wear it you also need to carry around an air compressor and regulator which are required to activate the pneumatics. Thus the suit is not portable so far and unlikely to be used in the agrarian field but it will likely find insdustrial uses.
It’s also not commercial yet, so there is no price published, but very likely this little sub-market will be blowing up in the next few years as industrialists try to come up with new ways to make their poor workers more productive.
But the Muscle Suit was not the only great new attraction of Tokyos International Robot Exhibition 2009. The theme of this year’s iREX 2009 was “Robot Technology - Challenge for the next-”, with hope for further advances of Robot Technology in the future. World’s leading companies and organizations were exhibiting leading-edge robot technologies and products at the exhibition.
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) introduced its new humanoid Taizo, a 70-centimeter-high articulated robot with 26 joints, which can demonstrate about 30 kinds of exercises aimed at helping elderly people do exercise.
The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) introduced its new humanoid Taizo, a 70-centimeter-high articulated robot with 26 joints, which can demonstrate about 30 kinds of exercises aimed at helping elderly people do exercise.
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.'s robot injects poisonous agricultural chemicals into the soil, relieving farmers of the hazardous task requiring protective gear, while Yaskawa Electric Corp.'s MOTOMAN swiftly handles the catering - it has 15 joints, can take verbal orders from customers and uses standard kitchen utensils.
The University of Tokyo's development team showed off its batting robot, which can hit any ball by detecting its course using a high-speed camera capable of processing 1,000 images per second. The batting robot identifies the ball position every 1/1000 second, adjusting the batting position in a mere 0.2 seconds to hit it back in the targeted direction.
The University of Tokyo's development team showed off its batting robot, which can hit any ball by detecting its course using a high-speed camera capable of processing 1,000 images per second. The batting robot identifies the ball position every 1/1000 second, adjusting the batting position in a mere 0.2 seconds to hit it back in the targeted direction.
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