The HAL-5 ready to battle

As further homage to our overlords presenting at the International Robot Expo (IREX) in Japan this week, we bring you the new and improved HAL bionic suit. At first site, we thought we were looking at one badazz crime-fighting cyborg prepping to blast that human wall target (with fuzzy bear backpack — come on, you see it right… please say you see it?). Instead, that dude's all human all the time and only the HAL suit is robotic, if you can believe it. This is the new HAL-5, or more specifically the Hybrid Assistive Limb. It's developed as a walking aid for those who could use a bit of extra power, such as the disabled or apparently farmers who must add bags of sodium to their basement water softeners.

[Via telegraaf.nl]

[Fuzz @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

You mean all these years I've been using my own muscles for walking, when I could have been using one of these??? Man, I'm so getting one.

[Jimbob @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Does anyone else think this thing screams XBOX 360?

[distantbody @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Looks like his bowel is about to give in to last nights curry

[super-structure @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

...but Grommit, these are the Wrong Trousers!

[Pal @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

I totally thought he had a prop gun in his hand till I read the article carefully...how depressing. What can I say, I just woke up... *yawn*

[Shin @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

They should add an SD cardslot so you can load up martial arts ala The Matrix 0:)

[distantbody @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

LOL ^ "distantbody" ;P

[Pseudo Tasuku @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Only 8995 more revisions before the great revolution.

[+ or - .005 @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Guyver Suit anyone? So who's gonna aim for the circular controler in the helmet (not shown here) so that we can watch this dude melt into a pile of goo?

[Jamie McCarron @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Could that guy be any skinnier? And yes, I too agree that he is in the "about to crap" position.

[o0adam0o @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Man that guy is skinny!

"With the help of the HAL-5 Ling Ling is able to lift his personal best @ 20lbs"

[jason3fc @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Is it just me or do that guys legs look really tiny. I mean there has to be at least 2 or 3 inches of plastic and bionics on top of his legs.

[apeguero @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

I thought it was a gun too! Actually, I thought the dude was a robot as well. Until I saw that what he was holding were three sacks of rice. Looks like he can fit in the C3P0 custome, hah!

I'll add to what Shin said above by wondering how cool it would be if this suit could be programmed to fight Martial Arts! Just imagine...Programmable cybernetic body...could be the life of the party pulling all those John Travolta moves, or at least the Apple iPod silluette moves you see in the commercials :)

[Zex_Suik @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

can I get one of these for my dog and control him with a remote?

[turbo @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

yeah, that dude is thin. really thin.

[G @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

...or is his head bigger than Godzillas left O.

[Pipi Caca @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

LOL!! That guy is wicked skinny! He needs to wear that suit just to lift 20 lbs!!!!

[rich @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

HAL-5 totally pwns the 3SEXY

[Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

naming your robot 'hal'=bad move.

[Nipponese @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

A dude that skinny is not all that rare in Japan. Those are 10kg bags of rice he's carrying. With 3 of them, that totals 66lb. No way he could lift that without the help of that suit, no doubt.

[Guillermo @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

"Roger, roger"

[Dustin Tarditi @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Chief, Chief! Man, we're glad you're here... can you put your helmet back on... and grab your gun the Federation is all over us this time!

[Chris Gunton @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

I'll 2nd the comment about being skinny and japanese isnt a big deal. kinda like being fat and American.

[Timerider @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Ooh, water softener insult. Not all people that have one are farmers. We live in the country and have one and are not farmers. City water is gross, it's just recycled toilet water.

P.S. #3, love the Wallace and Gromit relation.

[DJ @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Poly Vinyl Chloride is the new Pink.

[phlavor @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

site
n.

1. The place where a structure or group of structures was, is, or is to be located: a good site for the school.
2. The place or setting of something: a historic site; a job site.
3. A website.

------------------------------------------------

sight
n.

1. The ability to see.
2. The act or fact of seeing: hoping for a sight of land; caught sight of a rare bird.
3. Field of vision.
4. The foreseeable future; prospect: no solution in sight.
5. Mental perception or consideration: We lost sight of the purpose of our visit.
6. Something seen; a view.
7. Something worth seeing; a spectacle: the sights of London.
8. Informal. Something unsightly: Your hair is a sight.
9.
A. A device used to assist aim by guiding the eye, as on a firearm or surveying instrument.
B. An aim or observation taken with such a device.
10. An opportunity to observe or inspect.
11. Upper Southern U.S. A large number or quantity: A sight of people were there.

[John @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Timerider,

Same here! Salt water humans of the world unite!!!! Down with Chlorine!


And... even if the suit lets you lift 500 pounds, your arms can only stand so much pressure before they snap like little twigs.

[Chu Chu @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Without the power suit he is unable to hold his own head upright and it just flops over and rolls around on his boney chest.

[Michele Johnson @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

I wouldn't use the name "hal"!!! The last thing you want to hear is the suit going off.

mj
http://www.junglemungle.com

[Bill @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

LOL, you guys are hilarious!

Hey, I dig the blue joint lights

[Satoru @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

I don't know if anyone noticed but in addition to the suit being inappropriately called HAL (I'm sure there's a big glowing red LED in there somewhere) the company that was formed to do the research for this is called Cyberdyne!!! www.cyberdyne.jp

All hail our Japanese robotic overlords!

[lupinstel @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Obviously this guy takes too much ex-lax. Thus the skinniness, and the about to crap position. All that rice isn't going to help much either.

[Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Does anyone have episodes of ExoSquad for download?

[speedbacon @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

its on! Me and my lego robotics set are ready any time, any place HAL-5...

[billeh @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

revolution controller ?

[jo jo @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

OMG i just had the greatest idea for these if they could make these strong enough to be super strong jumping legs...think of the possibilities...screw elevators..i'll jump to my floor.

[rich @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

can you tranform into a moped? that would be sick

[@83 @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

I don't get it, why do all the articulation points have to be lit up? Drains batteries.
is that for some kind of night safety/flashlight for the basement thing?

As for being thin.. that dude should be eating those bags-o-rice. But he does sort of suit the target market: atrophied muscles/ people right our of concentration camps

[horse @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

I think I'm having an IREXtion!

[Stewert Dent @ Dec 19th 2005 2:06AM]

Does anyone see any similarities?

http://robots.engadget.com/entry/1234000087068919/

My first thought it was another Japo-robot with a waxy looking face.

By the way...I had to carry bags of salt for the water softner too. Holla to da FFA farm kids!