Personal mobility devices, like wheel chairs and scooters, give millions of people with varying degrees of ability a sense of freedom. Now a new generation of devices are coming off the drawing board starting with the revolutionary Segueway. Honda’s U3X kicks it up a notch. Lightweight and easy to ride it makes it highly portable. It could easily be used at a shopping mall.
More feedback back on The Community is Walkable, Are You? prompted this look at Exoskeletons in general and the ‘HAL Robot Suit’ specifically.
HAL is the “Hybrid Assistive Limb” and, what makes HAL special is that is a “voluntary control system” as well as a “robotic autonomous control system.” And why is that special you ask?
When a person tries to move, nerve signals are sent from the brain to the muscles by a motoneuron which results in movement. The surface of the skin gives off faint biosignals. HAL can pick up on these signals via a sensor attached to the skin and then can move the joint at the same time as the muscle movement. HAL gets the wearer’s intention. This is the voluntary control system.
Now, when you add in the ‘autonomous control system’ you have human-like movement. HAL has a database of small movements (which is continuously updated from the suit wearer) and puts these movements together to coordinate a smooth motion with the power units.
More than a decade in the works HAL is a product of the Japanese company Cyberdyne. Patient trials are underway in Japan and they rent the device to hospitals & clinics for about $1,500 per month.
There is a lot to be said for not having to use a car to make little trips around your community. The problem is that for some people walking has become more difficult. Especially if hills or stairs are impediments. Well, good news, the Honda Company has developed and is testing a device called “The Bodyweight Assist.”
Imagine how much easier it would be to walk around with a lighter body. That’s the effect achieved by this new device. Honda’s experimental walking assist helps support body weight and reduces the load on users legs while walking and going up and down stairs. This leads to reduced fatigue and less physical exertion.
With more than 130 patents filed for walking assistive devices Honda continues to test them in every day conditions to evaluate their effectiveness. They believe that eventually use of these (and other mobility devices) will be common for everyday activities around the house, neighborhood and a real plus for sight seeing.
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