Mass production of robot suits to begin

Cyberdyne Inc. has begun construction of a new lab (image below) that will mass-produce 400-500 robotic power suits every year starting in October, and tens of thousands of units in the next few years, the venture firm announced.

The suits, known as HAL for Hybrid Assistive Limb, are designed to help people with disabilities including patients with muscular dystrophy.

They work by detecting electrical signals in the skin and boosting limb strength through the attached power units. The battery charge lasts about two hours and forty minutes.

The suits will be available for rent to individuals for less than $1,000 a month, and to medical groups for less than $2,000 monthly.

The business will begin in Japan, but the firm has plans to expand internationally.

The lab/plant is located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, home of high-tech groups like humanoid robot developer AIST and the University of Tsukuba, where Cyberdyne head Yoshiyuki Sankai teaches.

via Kyodo News