Engadget goes legs-on with Honda's walking-assist devices (with video!)

helps with correct stride and assistance for forward movement, and the other which is meant for supporting your weight while doing tasks that require lots of bending at the knee. The former is intended to help the elderly, the disabled and those suffering from muscle or joint weakness walk more easily, and the latter is geared towards workers who are constantly performing leg and knee movements that can cause strain or injury. Since most of the editors at Engadget are unnaturally, monstrously large (like if Frankenstein and The Thing had a child out of wedlock) -- and could therefore only fit into one of the devices -- we brought along our more reasonably sized intern, Kevin Wong, to step up into the other's shoes (which he did with aplomb). Perhaps the most interesting facts we went away with today were about Honda's attitude on their new technology; they seemed adamantly against selling the stride-boosting stilts to the military, but they do plan on selling them at a consumer level (a la car and motorcycle sales), and... they didn't seem too keen on our ideas about outfitting our "gang" with them for help doing murders. Oh well. Check out the wildly entertaining video of all the action after the break, and enjoy a swim in the stacked gallery below.

Update: Since some of you have asked, we'll try to explain a little like what walking with the legs (the ones in the above picture at least) was like. Firstly, the leg motors run on a kind of timer, once you start moving, the computer on-board gets a "sense" of how quickly you'll be walking and begins to push and pull the motor to that rhythm. As you speed up or slow down, you can feel that "timer" catching up. The general feeling wasn't that it was adding that much to our movement -- it's obviously intended for those with some issues already, not people who are necessarily walking normally. Still, you could definitely feel the "legs" exerting a kind of tension on your muscles as you moved back and forth, and the feeling of having more power in your gait was absolutely present. Kevin's description of the second unit was that it was more difficult to walk (and there was no push / pull of a timer), but that he could sense the unit supporting his weight -- though it wasn't as if he could simply put all of his weight on the device. That unit certainly seemed to have a more substantial impact for those without a medical issue or related impediment. If you've got more specific questions, feel free to let us know in comments and we'll try to answer them!

Engadget goes legs-on with Honda's walking-assist devices

[sitruc Posted Apr 16th 2009 11:14AM]

Anyone else have the idea to make a video where people wear a belt or something and walk around while saying it helps. We could make millions.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 16th 2009 12:26PM]

Does this help with supinators and over-pronators?

[collide007 Posted Apr 17th 2009 4:39PM]

Not that I want to put a dampener on things, but the video was a bit lame, I mean it didn't really show the devices capabilities. A better video would be of an 80 year old keeping up with an olympic runner or something.

[parag Posted Apr 18th 2009 10:36AM]

Where/how do you buy this thing?
When will these be available?

[Wwhat Posted Apr 19th 2009 10:20AM]

Thanks for the update joshua (or whoever added it), that's the stuff I was wondering about.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 20th 2009 10:03PM]

Honda has created the worlds first wedgie-bot! Honda, fail. Cyberdyne, win.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 20th 2009 10:51PM]

I have a relative whose hips were destroyed in a car accident. They have been rebuilt artificially (including her acetablum on one side). She can't climb stairs and has difficulty walking more than a couple of hundred yards. This device looks like it might really help her. Can somebody get in touch with me about the specifics of how to obtain this device, when it will be marketed and what it will cost? You could change many lives with this technology. One in particular, I know.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 24th 2009 4:52PM]

I saw the second device demonstrated in a video on a website for disabled people. I have muscular dystrophy and am unable to walk up stairs, though I can walk some on flat surfaces. I am wondering if this device will help people like me. Is the company needing volunteers to test this? I would be EXTREMELY interested!!!!

[jaxim Posted Apr 27th 2009 8:02AM]

I'd like to see someone who normally has trouble walking try these babies out. I don't want to see healthy 20-20 somethings walk with these. As a viewer I cannot see how it makes a difference. But if they used an elderly man who has trouble walking, then I might be able to see how his walking is improved.

[(Unverified) Posted May 8th 2009 4:03PM]

Obviously this is going to be very expensive, but how do we get one ? how can we test one ?
My fiance would benefit greatly from such a product as a recent brain hemorrhage has affected her walking. If anyone finds any info please let me know.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 18th 2009 9:51PM]

At the risk of being slammed for this remark, I'd like to tell you all that I'm slightly offended by your remarks about the looks of this gadget and all the others that do not have to do with the functionality of this device. I know it looks a little silly, but for those of us who don't have the ability to walk up stairs or even walk very well, this device is promising. I wish it were availaable for testing on the general public. Presently, I have to rely on help to get upstairs or not go up at all. And I am not young, so the thought of this taking twenty years to put on the market is sad to me. And if the makers of the product saw all of your snyde remarks about the looks of it, instead of it's actual value, they may become discouraged and not see any reason to continue creating it. I would think that the remarks here should be limited to the working of the gadgets and not the looks of them or the people in the video or their clothes!