The Rise of the Body Bots
From: IEEE Spectrum - 10/2005 - Vol. 42, No. 10, P. 50
By: Erico Guizzo and Harry Goldstein

Asian and US institutions are developing exoskeletons that integrate the
strength and dexterity of machines with the decision-making skills of human
beings. Most of the exoskeletons are designed to help injured or enfeebled
people rehabilitate or become more mobile, while their augmented strength and
adaptability to terrain hint at the technology's potential applications for
firefighters, search and rescue operations, construction workers, and others.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is funding projects at
Sarcos Research and the University of California, Berkeley, that demonstrate
the feasibility of robotic exoskeletons designed to help soldiers carry more
weight while marching faster and longer without sacrificing agility. The
prototypes these efforts have yielded could be turned into actual military
tools through collaboration with Army research groups, according to
University of Kentucky professor John Main. Practical exoskeleton technology
has taken time to emerge because only recently has computer processing,
energy supplies, and actuators matured enough to support the desired
functionality. Berkeley's exoskeleton effort has led to the development of
Bleex 2, an agile system that lets users walk and run while bearing heavy
loads. Sarcos, meanwhile, has devised a full-bodied system with powered
robotic arms and legs that enables users to carry 84 kilograms with no
sensation of payload. Japan is expected to be the first major exoskeleton
adopter because of its rapidly aging population, coupled with a scarcity of
caregivers; the first commercially available exoskeleton will be Cyberdyne's
HAL-5, a full-body suit that helps the elderly and physically disabled to
walk. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct05/1901

Links:
Projects in the US
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct05/1901/botssb1

Projects in Asia
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct05/1901/botssb2

Projects in Europe
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct05/1901/botssb3

Sarcos Research
http://www.sarcos.com/

Exoskeletons: Wearable Robots
http://www.gizmag.com/go/1604/

Exoskeletons Around the World
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct05/1974

Exoskeletons for Human Performance Augmentation
http://www.darpa.mil/dso/thrust/matdev/ehpa.htm

Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton
http://bleex.me.berkeley.edu/bleex.htm

Robot Suit HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb)
http://www.cyberdyne.jp/ENG/hal.html

Move over Bionic Man, make room for BLEEX
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4499831/
