Monday, June 29, 2009

First Steps in Exoskeleton Development

The theme of this blog was inspired by the article for HealthDay by E.J. Mundell called Get Ready for the Real Bionic Man that was provided as a CrossCurrents section in the SCS100 textbook, Tomorrow's Technology and You by George Beekman and Michael J. Quinn.

In this article, Mundell is discussing the latest (as of 2006) developments in bionical creativity engineering, such as the BLEEX exoskeleton, developed to aid people to carry heavy loads by shifting the weight off the body and onto robotic limbs that follow the movement of the user's legs.
In the years after the publication of the article, Berkeley Robotics Human Engineering Laboratory have developed the concept even further with The Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC™) and the Medical Exoskeleton, designed to "allow their wearers to walk upright without the strain and muscular effort required by todafy's unpowered orthotic devices" such as wheelchairs.

















But is it wrong to develop this technology with military uses in mind? Even though the civilian models show great promise to make the lives of many people easier, the fact that a major aim of this research is directed towards army use may be disturbing to many. In my opinion though, this issue is inevitable. Almost any useful technology first found its uses in the military, only later to be adopted by the general public. If a new device can prove itself advantageous and useful in the field of battle, then it is certain that it will also successfully do its part in other fields like medicine or emergency rescue.

And here is a video showcasing all the advantages of the HULC:

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