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/