Berkeley Bionics' HULC exoskeleton lets you effortlessly carry 200lbs
By Joshua Fruhlinger 
posted May 31st 2008 6:17AM
posted May 31st 2008 6:17AM
[Via Switched]
posted May 31st 2008 6:17AM
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With the HULC exosceleton even a normal Laptop can easily be carried by women and children.
So this is the end of the netbook market?
Screw robotic exoskeletons.
I want a robotic ENDOskeleton.
ive always wondered what would happen if you were carrying this 200lb and the suit either malfunctioned or even worse broke on a supporting part.... that 20lb would crush you flat!!
i think this is putting too much dependency on technology
Same thing that happens when you drive a car at 100 km/h and your front tire blows out. You get badly injured or die.
However, engineers test the systems to make sure that is very unlikely to happen. An exoskeleton like this could be used to lift heavy weights in places where a forklift can't go (and someday to fight off the robots).
Well at least this it the first step towards an IRON MAN suit!
Now this is a much more useful technology, say than multi touch...
If I was an officer going up against an army of HULC-equipped soldiers, I'd just have my guys sneak up behind them and push them all over. Before they knew what was going on, they'd all be lying face-down, pinned under their 200-lbs. payloads.
Check . . . and mate.
Ooo . . . even better. EMP those mofos.
Ooo . . . even better. EMP those mofos.
this is no iron man suit its a spartan suit.
Aaaah! MissingNo's back, run for your lives!
No Video, No Care.
Ditto
Switched (Engadget site) has the video up:
http://www.switched.com/2008/05/30/exoskeletons-available-for-pre-order/
Great, Now I can carry my 2.4 children around all day...
Lets you carry 200lbs but makes you walk funny.
And dependancy on technology will be one of our downfalls.
HULC SMASH!
I was going to say that :D
Well, you also have to think that this is for people who work in construction and need to carry a lot of material. This would be a great improvement for places that require heavy lifting, because it would enable the average person to lift great weights without years of training.
Yeah now that little skinny guy that always wanted to work construction can fulfill a lifetime dream!
What about the porn industry? Mega Hardcore, ehh. . . . .?
"You will be able to carry an extra 90kg, but you will walk like a neanderthal and also have to wear this BDSM-inspired mouthpiece contraption"
People will love it.
The thing on his mouth is for testing only. If you watch the video on Switched it sound pretty amazing. It even makes normal walking easier (lowering heart rate, etc.), not just carrying heavy stuff.
What's the price? I would go look it up, but I'm too lazy.
Unfortunately, the suit also weighs 200lbs :p
Video says 31 lbs.
What are yall talking about dependency on technology? That's all people of the world do everyday! Depend on technology. When's the last time you wrote a letter and mailed it instead of writing an email. Case closed.
Yes, but it some cases, its us who have our life put on hold just because there is no power. When london banks are effected by a power cut, and you have to line up for hours to get money. MONEY, no electricity, no money, no money, then what?
If we really didn't depend on technology you would be witting with a rock not a pen.
Thats a damn shame people are getting that lazy.. wait until the aliens come and people have forgotten how to walk and all of the segways batteries fail. With that said how much and where do i sign up
That's exactly why we have exoskeletons!
The article didn't mention what kind of onboard weapon systems the exoskeleton has. Black hole generator or no sale!
Okay, seriously now people, when was the last time privately-made technology made life worse? Or made things more inconvenient for you?
Ahh, but will it stop people laughing at you?
They will stop laughing when you pick them off the floor and throw them away effortlessly.
@Shadowmaker
You'd need exo-arms for that first.
Can't wait to see the first HULC backyard wrestling match!
When are we gunna start seeing DIY kits for these?
or how bout 3rd world countries where they have to haul big barrels of water on foot every day? Hmm?
Yes thats what they need instead of those Dumb trucks that can take many barrels of water and drive longer distances
prOn*, the savior of the third world. Once upon a time he proposed to give them super expensive exoskeletons which run on electricity (from their nonexistent power grid). Yes, he was a great man.
(I'm assuming you're just trolling)
oops, /sarcasm
To the naysayers... There is a video of this thing out there on the net. Look for it. It doesn't look so bad once you see it in motion. It even has a release latch for the backpack in case you need to lose it in a hurry. I don't imagine it would be too hard to develop an automatic release in case the exoskeleton fails. And the crazy mouth piece is being used to measure oxygen consumption. I saw the guy running with a 100 or 150 lb. load in the video and I have to admit that I can think of lots of uses for the technology. The whole thing looks a lot more slick in the video.
I saw something similar on youtube yesterday. But this exoskeleton attaches to your arms as well. Although its quite a big bulkier.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nhj3Z9o6t0g
effortlessly.. This guy looks like he is really really struggling to move.
yeah i got a good laugh out of the "effortlessly" claim too, he obviously straining pretty hard there. Watch the youtube video, it looks like the suit is more of a hindrance than anything.
A company out of Utah called "Sarcos" is already doing this. The Sarcos machine looks cooler, but as for actually performance, I haven't had a chance to compare one against the other.
I put a youtube link up above of the sarcos one.
I actually did some work for this at Berkeley, specifically for the knee joint. My group's work wasn't used in the final design, but we weren't completely tied into the program either. The early prototype was about 3x bulkier than this one and had all types of problems with power consumption. Anyway, it's good to see this project has developed nicely.
The HULC is ugly. Japan made their HAL with a much cooler design. you may want to check the links:
http://www.cyberdyne.jp/english/robotsuithal/index.html
http://current.com/items/88934852_sleek_robotic_exoskeleton_developed_in_japan
omfg your first link has the most hilarious picture i have ever seen.