| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: WoT |
| Move over Bionic Man, Make Room for BLEEX |
| 2004-03-11 |
| New robotic legs could produce an army of super troopers... EFL and Fair Use BERKELEY, Calif. - Move over Bionic Man and make room for BLEEX â the Berkeley Lower Extremities Exoskeleton, with strap-on robotic legs designed to turn an ordinary human into a super strider. Ultimately intended to help people like soldiers or firefighters carry heavy loads for long distances, these boots are made for marching. âThe design of this exoskeleton really benefits from human intellect and the strength of the machine,â says Homayoon Kazerooni, who directs the Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory at the University of California-Berkeley. The exoskeleton consists of a pair of mechanical metal leg braces that include a power unit and a backpack-like frame. The braces are attached to a modified pair of Army boots and are also connected, although less rigidly, to the userâs legs. More than 40 sensors and hydraulic mechanisms function like a human nervous system, constantly calculating how to distribute the weight being borne and create a minimal load for the wearer. âThere is no joystick, no keyboard, no push button to drive the device,â says Kazerooni, a professor of mechanical engineering. âThe pilot becomes an integral part of the exoskeleton.â ...More... Cool shit. Check out the whole article at the link. Fred - you oughtta put this on your Wish List! |
| Posted by:.com |
| #9 âThere is no joystick, no keyboard, no push button to drive the device,â says Kazerooni, a professor of mechanical engineering. âThe pilot becomes an integral part of the exoskeleton.â Didn't they say that about the Segway? Before it started falling over. |
| Posted by: Cheddarhead 2004-3-11 8:15:37 PM |
| #8 yeah, runs out of fuel after two hours and the thing is a combustion engine, this thing would be only semi useful in situations where you cant use vehicles. in which case you just have a group of men running around (for two hours) with a noisy combustion engine between their legs. as a standalone product, berkley just found new ways to make our soldiers targets. |
| Posted by: Dcreeper 2004-3-11 5:45:57 PM |
| #7 Christopher Reeves might yet walk with these. #5: I gotta plug my legs in? #6 I just want Sigourney Weaver |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2004-3-11 10:57:39 AM |
| #6 I want one of those cargo exo's that Sigourney Weaver used to fight the Alien! Just add some armor and... |
| Posted by: .com 2004-3-11 10:38:11 AM |
| #5 It's my understanding that this thing runs outta fuel in 2 hours. Not very useful in my opinion. |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2004-3-11 10:32:55 AM |
| #4 I'm more impressed that Berkley made something that could help soldiers fight. |
| Posted by: Charles 2004-3-11 10:28:34 AM |
| #3 BH- That's okay, as soon as somebody realizes this has military applications, watch 'em come out of the woodwork... Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2004-3-11 10:28:29 AM |
| #2 Fascinating story - I had no idea people were actually learning sh*t at Berkeley. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-3-11 9:48:58 AM |
| #1 Starship Troopers Mobile Infantry V.1.0 "Rantburg's Roughnecks" here we come! |
| Posted by: Sparks 2004-3-11 9:31:07 AM |