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Science Power Pedal Legs Coming in August
Michael Hoffman (Blog) - June 18, 2007 8:14 AM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 32 comment(s) - last by CrimsonFrost.. on Jun 19 at 6:43 PM
Humans will be able to receive a robotic upgrade if research by Matsushita is successful

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. unveiled the "Power Pedal" robot suit; a pair of robotic legs able to help elderly or disabled people walk.  The robotic legs offer a user-expanded leg power up to seven times more than what the human body offers.  Once properly secured in the device, a user applies foot pressure to a pair of sensor-equipped pedals that control the suit. 

Suit designers programmed the device to move along six different axes, and it can safely travel over rough terrain.  The company expects the robot suit to be a logical tool in disaster relief operations, with no official testing details announced.

The Power Pedal will be available on the Japanese market in August with an estimated price of 20 million yen ($167,000).  Matsushita will lower the price to 3.5 million yen ($30,000) by 2015.

Matsushita made noise in the robotics field previously when it unveiled plans to create a robotic jacket which rehabilitates paralyzed medical patients.  With the help of Activelink and Kobe Gakuin University, the three organizations will make a vest that slips over the patient's chest and arms and allows a person to move around freely.

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Mech?
By omnicronx on 6/18/2007 9:58:43 AM , Rating: 3
Is it just me or does this look like the beginnings of a mech warrior




RE: Mech?
By penter on 6/18/2007 10:05:52 AM , Rating: 2
This is one step closer to the Matrix. Just attach some big ass guns to it, and let the fight begin.


RE: Mech?
By FITCamaro on 6/18/2007 12:18:03 PM , Rating: 2
I thought that too.


RE: Mech?
By MADAOO7 on 6/18/2007 12:39:17 PM , Rating: 2
I was thinking MechWarrior as well. I was also thinking about Grandma's Boy with J.P. pretending he was a robot. At some point in the movie doesn't he say something like, "I'm thinking about getting Robot legs, it's a risky procedure but I think it's worth it." Maybe it was arms, idk...funny stuff either way.


RE: Mech?
By PrezWeezy on 6/18/2007 4:59:35 PM , Rating: 3
it was legs. "How could he see me?"


RE: Mech?
By encryptkeeper on 6/18/2007 12:53:39 PM , Rating: 1
"Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. unveiled the "Power Pedal" robot suit; a pair of robotic legs able to help elderly or disabled people walk."

Is this the model for the T-600 or T-700?


Advancements in Technology
By XToneX on 6/18/2007 8:59:01 AM , Rating: 3
On the plus side, it should be very interesting to see how this invention will set forth advancements in technology to assist the disabled in everyday life. Who knows? In 20 years we may see this same model "new and improved", only taking up 1/10th of the space this current invention does, and producing twice the speed in movement. It's always nice to see inventions like these created because it broadens the horizons. Looking forward to hearing more.




RE: Advancements in Technology
By Visual on 6/18/2007 9:30:47 AM , Rating: 1
it is quite obvious though, that these things are not, and will never be intended to assist the disabled.

their primary function will be military. in the private sector it might later be used as a construction machinery or heavy lifter or something, but it will be some time before that...

and i don't think this tech itself is so interesting or promising. rather, developing the means to interface with it (controlling it and getting feedback from it) is what is really important. several possible ways of controlling such machine come to mind, from some simple joystick/keyboard through some movement reaction augmenter to direct thought brain-computer interfaces, and all of them can have use in many other fields too, including remote machine control. reverse feedback, from the machine to the user, is also an area that will need a lot of work and its application again will not be limited to this particular exoskeleton machinery.


RE: Advancements in Technology
By InsaneGain on 6/18/2007 12:03:44 PM , Rating: 2
"i don't think this tech itself is so interesting or promising. rather, developing the means to interface with it (controlling it and getting feedback from it)"

I imagine the 'interface' is the breakthrough technology. That along with the compact, practical power supply and motors.

"several possible ways of controlling such machine come to mind,..."

I think you should meet up with the engineers and Matsushita and let them know what your ideas are.


By encryptkeeper on 6/18/2007 12:57:37 PM , Rating: 4
I can't wait to see Wilford Brimley (the old guy from Cocoon) hock one of these things. How would that commercial go? Or would it be like the "I've fallen..." lady?

Help! I've fallen and I can't get...hang on...whiiiiiiir buzzz klang! I'm ok now.


RE: Advancements in Technology
By ceefka on 6/19/2007 7:05:29 AM , Rating: 2
I am looking forward to the paralympics with legs and arms etc. Should make it interesting...


I really don't know, so I'll just shoot you
By Squatter on 6/18/2007 5:43:31 PM , Rating: 1
It would seem that the majority of commentators in this forum are adolescent boys still dealing with all the troublesome issues of puberty who spend most of their time holed up in their upstairs bedrooms playing low-IQ video games and most likely have never been with a real girl. What is about these kids that whenever there is any mention of any device or scientific advance, the inevitable comment is 'Cool!! imagine all the people we could kill with this if we only (paste in the necessary mod.)'




By kyleb2112 on 6/18/2007 6:31:41 PM , Rating: 3
You're right, snide condescension is so much better.


By FITCamaro on 6/18/2007 6:35:07 PM , Rating: 4
While you might be right sometimes, with this topic, theres very little you can say. We're talking about a product that:

1) only the rich could afford,
2) the target market wouldn't even get in the same room as it,
3) is largely based off a design that has been seen in nearly every mech based game and movie, and
4) will very likely flop.

I'm 24, work for an Air Force contractor, have a girlfriend (yes a living, breathing, walking, talking, sucking, f***ing one), and at least came up with a forum name that doesn't sound like a homeless person or someone taking a crap in an alley.

And I know not to use an insanely long run on sentence that never ends using no proper punctuation that people have to stop and take a breath just to finish it so I can insult have the people who posted on this topic while at the same time trying to make myself feel better.


By CrimsonFrost on 6/19/2007 6:43:45 PM , Rating: 2
Anyone else here think Sqautter shoulda read this?
http://www.soft-land.org/cgi-bin/doc.pl?doc=docume...


By SaltBoy on 6/18/2007 11:29:53 AM , Rating: 2
..."Get away from her you BITCH!!"




By fic2 on 6/18/2007 11:52:25 AM , Rating: 2
Aliens - definitely one of the movies I thought of.


By PitViper007 on 6/18/2007 12:08:25 PM , Rating: 2
Me too!


By Legolias24 on 6/18/2007 4:33:41 PM , Rating: 3
Damn you Saltboy...you said the very quote that first popped into my head while reading this article! :P

Aliens was a great movie...so was Alien for that matter! :)

- Legolias


Yes!
By wrekd on 6/18/2007 8:36:54 AM , Rating: 2
It's robot fight'n time!!!




RE: Yes!
By marvdmartian on 6/18/2007 9:01:18 AM , Rating: 2
I give it six months, before some old lady who's already had her driver's license taken away for too many accidents, ends up stepping on and killing some little kid in the mall, cuz she couldn't control the robo-stepper!


RE: Yes!
By Supa on 6/18/2007 11:24:03 AM , Rating: 3
Imaging an elderly falling downstairs with this thing, the possibilities for potential lawsuits are endless.

--


Thump Bump
By IcY18 on 6/18/2007 10:04:37 AM , Rating: 3
Can't you just see grandma going thump...thump..thump down the aisle.




RE: Thump Bump
By FITCamaro on 6/18/2007 12:25:33 PM , Rating: 2
ROFL.

Thats exactly what I though when I read it was for old people. No old person would use this thing. Hell they'll probably have a heart attack if they saw someone on one.

What they need to do is make it remote controlled, put a minigun and grenade launcher on it, and deploy them in Iraq.


Robocop!
By venny on 6/18/2007 8:29:13 AM , Rating: 2
nice pic of robocop...




RE: Robocop!
By PrimarchLion on 6/18/2007 5:03:30 PM , Rating: 2
Drop your weapon, you have 15 seconds to comply.


Video
By christojojo on 6/18/2007 9:14:22 AM , Rating: 2
It looks cool and I would love one as a toy.

Is there a video of this in action?

First impressions make it more bulky than older people like. Does it fold up compact? Transportability of this looks questionable also.

I should probably hold off final judgement until I get to see the consumer model in operation.




RE: Video
By spillai on 6/19/2007 11:24:06 AM , Rating: 2
The Fact is that it can be sold as an Enabler for elders and a Toy.

Satheesh
www.knowledgevibes.com


How does it work?
By Souka on 6/18/2007 3:56:49 PM , Rating: 3
Photo is a close in pic...kinda obsures how its being driven...

Is it self contained? if so, for how long time/distance can it go?

I bet its hooked to a nice large loud compressor that is either gas driven or plugs into 220/110v AC.... yeah, real convienent.

Lets see some real life video of that in use...




lol
By astrodemoniac on 6/18/2007 9:45:53 AM , Rating: 2
Robotic pensioner FTW!!




Shoes
By simreg on 6/19/2007 8:58:53 AM , Rating: 2
It appears that they are using cycling shoes (by Shimano?) as the foot interface. That would allow the users feet to stay firmly planted to the "legs" during movement.




Did
By Treckin on 6/19/2007 5:01:42 PM , Rating: 2
Did this make anyone else think of the brain interface that they developed for the control of the computer curser? If that particular technology gets a bit more advanced, perhaps one could learn to control the legs with brain impulses. The human mind his highly adaptive.... In the brain interface, they attached a series of electrodes on the surface of the brain, then told the patient to move the curser... It was also successfully done on monkeys first.

I believe that would be ideal, if one could learn to control discrete bionics with their mind, to the point that it is all done subconsciously




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