Climber to wear HAL cyborg suit, carry quadriplegic man to summit

We're still waiting for someone to toss one of these HAL cyborg suits on and do battle with the forces of evil, but until then we'll have to celebrate the little things. Or not so little things, in this case. The "hybrid assistive limb" suits are going to be used by two mountaineers to ascend the peak of a Swiss mountain while carrying a 43-year old quadriplegic man and a 16-year old student with muscular dystrophy. The two climbers will start 930 feet below the summit, with one carrying the 43-year old Seiji Uchida on his back, and the other dragging the 16-year old Kyoga Ide in a sled. Sounds like quite the task, even with a muscle aiding cyborg suit, but we're sure the climbers could totally p0wn any ninjas that might come in between them and the summit.

[Via The Raw Feed]

[nick @ Apr 3rd 2006 2:09PM]

Being a climber myself... This is just a bad idea.

Don't wear the cyborg suits. You need to be able to move better than that.

[Osiris @ Apr 3rd 2006 2:10PM]

Surely those things require quite a bit of juice?

And by the looks of it, the support doesn't extend all the way to the floor, doesn't that mean that stress will still be on the legs and feet? Hmm or perhaps those are special shoes that are attached to the main frame..?

Interesting concept.

[wulff @ Apr 3rd 2006 2:10PM]

just a few more years....

[David @ Apr 3rd 2006 2:19PM]

That's pwn, not "p0wn," you noobs.

[mattie @ Apr 3rd 2006 2:26PM]

sounds like a left over april fools article

[James Dehnert Sr @ Apr 3rd 2006 2:26PM]

Wearing that while climbing seem like a good way to find the bottom of a cravas really quickly.

I think these to Einstein's should try swimming the channel first, that way that won't hurt anyone else.

[Woolly Mittens @ Apr 3rd 2006 2:41PM]

To the professional mountaineers above. When they say summit, you picture Everest. There are plenty of Alps with a Kodak moment at the summit and a parking-lot for the tourists.

It can't be *that* extreme. You need to move to avoid freezing and the people being carried sure as heck aren't.

[ex-puller-downer @ Apr 3rd 2006 2:42PM]

I seriously doubt they will be doing any more than a hike up a snowfield. Does anyone really believe they would risk thier lives on some hairy mixed climb with two disabled people in tow? Use your brains. I think this is totally rad and gives a couple of wheelchair-bound people a chance to get outside in the mountains.

[Kurt @ Apr 3rd 2006 2:57PM]

Why and who cares?

[Tristan @ Apr 3rd 2006 3:33PM]

To the above:

Please tell me you're trolling. The applications for technology such as this are many and varied: granting increased mobility to the elderly; assisting rescue personnel by allowing them to carry larger equipment loads, people, or debris too heavy for a single man; allowing soldiers to carry greater equipment loads including heavier armor and weapons...

And that's just the end product. The technology required to synch the movements of the machine to the movements of the operator marks a great step forward in human/machine interface. It provides assitance transparently; the operator needs little to no training to benefit from the system.

Don't be so narrow-minded just because seeing this evokes images of quirky Asian cartoons.

[Baumann @ Apr 3rd 2006 3:42PM]

Wow! Look at that suit! He just picked up an 80 pound asian woman. Now that's strength!

[sam @ Apr 3rd 2006 4:01PM]

here's a guy in seattle who made the same thing- except with off-the-shelf parts. take that, japan.

http://www.theyshallwalk.org/

[sam @ Apr 3rd 2006 4:12PM]

after reading further, i realize i was wrong. the seattle guy did something FAR more interesting.

[Sam @ Apr 3rd 2006 4:26PM]

There's now way one of those dorks is gonna get by any ninjas. Ninjas live for killing losers like that.

[Eric @ Apr 3rd 2006 4:38PM]

Does anyone remember Dark Angel and Michael Weatherly's character wearing that leg thing because he was in a wheelchair and fights crime with it, blah blah? Next human invention: an electronic pulse that will eliminate every electronics in a 100 mile radius. Wait, that already happened a couple of years back.

[Brian @ Apr 3rd 2006 4:59PM]

Eric is referring to EMP, and it was a by-product of the atomic bomb.

* The more you know *

[jmal @ Apr 3rd 2006 5:06PM]

#11, lmao

But if they're dragging this girl in a sled, I doubt the path/hike/whatever isn't too treacherous.

[OMAC @ Apr 3rd 2006 5:11PM]

All that's missing is a jet pack and missile launcher, then I'd get one!

[south @ Apr 3rd 2006 6:38PM]

I saw a guy climb Mt Fuji in a wheelchair once, no motors, so they could probably climb some kind of mountain with these things too.

[steve-0 @ Apr 3rd 2006 6:43PM]

Couldn't they pick something heavier for demonstration? He is a small and skinny guy but come on... You should be able to carry her w/out any help of some cyborg suit!

[steve-0 @ Apr 3rd 2006 6:52PM]

She could have at least weigh 300 Lbs!

[REPSODE @ Apr 4th 2006 7:12AM]

18. Maybe they're hidden, like in an action man figure.

Ad announcer: ACTION MAN. THE GREATEST HERO OF THEM ALL! Now Action Man has a new machine to defeat the evil X. The MechaLimb. With the MechaLimb he has Mega kicking action! and (all together now) Secret missile launcher!

Action man kicks X in the groin then reveals missiles in that pop out of the leg, like Robocop's gun.

Oh, I better get on to Hasbro 'bout that one.

[Tim @ Apr 4th 2006 10:02AM]

If you need a cyborg suit to pick up a women you've got a problem. That bloke needs to get to a gym.

[Jim @ Apr 4th 2006 11:41AM]

And I imagine that all the critics are motivated and talented enough to actually build anything technical themselves.Wrong.

[toonRunner @ Apr 4th 2006 2:07PM]

Call me when they perfect the Gantz bodysuit, then I'll get excited

[russia @ Apr 4th 2006 3:53PM]

... The only thing I see here is definite Halo potential, once they got the full package im totally gonna kick some Alien as s.

[Snappy! @ Apr 4th 2006 10:41PM]

#11, I thought so too. Were they trying to say that that guy could not carry her without the bionic thingie? :o

They should at least show him doing it with one arm or something! ;)

[Scott @ Apr 26th 2006 10:29AM]

Fools all of you, picking up an 80 pound woman may not be very impressive..oh wait it is. because its not the person doing it, its the suit. if you cant move your arms and legs normally then walking around and picking up a slim bit of weight is far better than not. and this thing is probably a prototype, I doubt its meant to be able to lift two thousand pounds and go around throwing cars. if some person with a dissability got pissed and decided to take it out on some people, well your all screwed. but yeah the supports dont go past the ankles...so I doubt this thing actually works