PowerLoader Exoskeleton for Super Strength
If you’ve seen the movie Aliens, you are familiar with the exoskeleton suit that Sigourney Weaver dons to fight the predator. A team at Activelink, one of Panasonic’s subsidiary companies has developed a PowerLoader exoskeleton suit reminiscent of Hollywood. According to a report from Reuters, the PowerLoader exoskeleton has been dubbed the “Ninja,” and is designed to give the user extra strength. This translates as being able to life around 90 kilos (three times its own weight). Strength is added specifically to the arms and legs as the suit is designed for daily use in factories, farms and warehouses where repetitive lifting is a necessity. This suit is an advancement on Activelink’s heavier predecessor, which was designed in 2009 specifically for military and disaster relief use.
Skype-inspired Assistive Robot for Elderly
The GiraffPlus consortium, a collaboration of researchers from throughout the European Union, has developed an assistive robot that can help take care of the elderly. Members of the GiraffPlus team describe the robot as having a complex monitoring system that can keep tabs on activities of an elderly person while he or she is at home. The sensors can monitor physical attributes, such as heart rate and blood pressure. The robot can also detect if an individual falls down and can provide a range of different services depending on the user’s specific needs. The robot has a friendly interface similar to that developed by Skype. This allows caregivers or relatives to have a virtual visit with an elderly person in the comfort of their own home.
Submersible Exosuit to Search Shipwreck Site
Designed by Nuytco Research, the world’s most advanced diving suit was originally created for the study of deep-sea life, but it is about to embark on a mission to search the Antikythera wreck. This shipwreck, which occurred in the first century B.C., is located off the Greek island of Antikythera, at a depth of around 400 feet. As noted by cnet.com, the exoskeleton suit gives the user capability to spend up to 50 hours under water, operating at a depth that would crush a diver without such sophisticated protection. The diver will be searching for the Antikythera mechanism, what is also known as the world’s oldest computer
Image credit: tuexperto.com
