Mobile Health Around the Globe: Robot Power Suit From Japan Helps Patients Walk

Hybrid Assistive Limb or HAL

Hybrid Assistive Limb or HAL

“A robot suit that can help the elderly or disabled get around was given its global safety certificate in Japan on Wednesday, paving the way for its worldwide roll-out,” according to Discovery News.

The Hybrid Assistive Limb®, or HAL, is a power-assisted pair of legs developed by Japanese robot maker, Yoshiyuki Sankai, CEO Cyberdyne Inc.

The following text is an excerpt from the YouTube video below.

• HAL weighs less than 10 kilograms and comes in sizes small, medium and large, and it helps elderly patients bound to a wheel chair walk.
• When a person tries to move his leg, electrical impulses flow from the brain to the leg muscles. The sensor detects the brain signals and sends commands to the motor then the robot suit begins to assist the leg muscles.   This occurs the instant a person thinks to move his legs.
• Sankai wants to provide technological support for care workers with back pain so they can continue to work, and HAL assists with that.  The suit will allow a wearer to easily carry a man weighing 60 kilograms.
• Sankai hopes to complete a marketable model next year, according to the NNK World reporter on this video.

Additional information can be found here.  Image – Cyberdyne.

Your Turn

What do you think about HAL?  Will it help move health care forward?  Please share your insightful thoughts in the comment section below.  As always, thank you for your valuable time.

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