The parent company of Panasonic, Matsushita Electric, has developed a "wearable robot" for the lower body that provides up to seven times the strength of an unassisted human.
Of course every time I see something like this I'm instantly thinking about Robert Heinlien style powered armor, but the developers have more humane uses in mind.
Researchers from Active Link, a Matsushita venture company, worked with Ritsumeikan University to develop a prototype of the powered suit, which is set to go on sale in August at a price of 20 million yen ($167,000) each. The company plans to cut the cost to around 3.5 million yen ($30,000) by the year 2015, as they aim to create a commercial product that can help the elderly and disabled to walk.
Matsushita also believes the robot suit could play a useful role in disaster relief operations, especially if combined with the company’s previous upper body robot suit technology developed in 2005, which is designed to provide users with an extra 50 kilograms (110 lbs) of arm strength.
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