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Power Armor For the Elderly

Posted by Zonk on Sat Jul 23, 2005 01:41 AM
from the super-monkey-rocket-old-lady-force-go dept.
Robotics Science
aicrules writes "The question of how to care for the growing number of people in the upper age bracket has a new answer - assistive power armor for the elderly." From the article: "The sleek, high-tech get-up looks like a white suit of armor. It straps onto a person's arms, legs and back and is equipped with a computer, motors and sensors that detect electric nerve signals transmitted from the brain when a person tries to move his limbs. When the sensors detect the nerve signals, the computer starts up the relevant motors to assist the person's motions. Sankai says the suit, dubbed 'Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) 5,' can let a person who can barely do an 176-pound leg press handle 397 pounds."
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  • Please, put down your weapon (Score:5, Funny)

    by TPIRman (142895) * on Saturday July 23 2005, @01:42AM (#13142630)
    In Korea, only old people are Robocop.

  • Oh noes! (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Now we have to be wary of an army of mecha-geriatrics!

  • Muscles (Score:4, Interesting)

    by $exyNerdie (683214) on Saturday July 23 2005, @01:44AM (#13142641) Homepage Journal
    That's going to make their already weak muscles weaker.Muscles grow on consisten application of resistance....

    • Re:Muscles (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Sj0 (472011) on Saturday July 23 2005, @02:20AM (#13142764) Homepage Journal
      If you're at the point where you need it, odds are this is not going to cause more harm than good.

      But, I'm in the prime of my life, and I have no problems saying this: I WANT ONE!!!

    • Re:Muscles (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ozmanjusri (601766) <aussie_bob AT hotmail DOT com> on Saturday July 23 2005, @02:23AM (#13142772) Journal
      That's going to make their already weak muscles weaker.Muscles grow on consisten application of resistance.

      It doesn't have to. You could dial in as much resistance as you want. Consistency is important to frail people, and often fear of injury dissuades them from any exercise at all. This would help.
    • i've always wondered, if you lifted imaginary weights, but you put a lot of energy into trying to lift it, meaning you can actually see my arm shaking trying to lift this imaginary weight, how much exercise am i doing? is it really the same as lifting 0lbs? i mean, you can be sweating lifting imaginary weights. i know that the resistance isn't there, but much works is my body doing when imagining resistance and my body against it?
    • When people get old and frail, and develop weak musccles and bones - it's a reflection of te general poor medical condition. Old people get hip fractures, because they are SICK and debilitated. 50% of old people who get a hip fracture wind up dying within a year, not from the fracture, but because they are already dying. It's the same with their muscle mass. Mental and physical debilitation i.e cardiac, pulmonary, renal, all lead to this muscle wasting.

      This is like putting a patch on a completely bald

    • Re:Muscles (Score:3, Insightful)

      by davebo (11873)
      Muscles grow on consistent application of resistance...


      Unless, of course, you happen to suffer from a degenerative muscle disease, in which case no matter how much you exercise your muscles get weaker.

      This kind of power assist device could be a godsend for folks in that condition, wouldn't you agree?

  • What has happened to Slashdot? (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    The sleek, high-tech get-up looks like a white suit of armor.

    For Christ's sake, it looks like the starting point for a storm trooper costume. What's this "white suit of armor" nonsense?
    • Oh no it's much worse than storm troopers. Suits that amplify strength? Gee why didn't I think of that.....maybe because it's existed in science fiction for years. Do you honestly think it will be long after someone perfects one of these before we're deploying troops with combat suits? How long before we have freakin mechs? Like every science fiction writer on the planet didn't see this coming.

  • This is so cool (Score:3, Funny)

    by pintpusher (854001) on Saturday July 23 2005, @01:45AM (#13142645) Journal
    I can't wait til I'm Elderly!

  • Is anyone else thinking super soldiers? (Score:4, Funny)

    by synthex (891288) on Saturday July 23 2005, @01:46AM (#13142647)
    It's a great concept, but can anyone see anything other than cost per suit preventing this being used as an aid for modern soldiers? With modification, obviously. Then they just need to teach the soldiers bad one liners ('Time to take out ze trash') and we have a super soldier/Arnold hybrid!
    • Can anyone see anything other than cost per suit preventing this being used as an aid for modern soldiers

      No, which is exactly why and what for: to enable soldiers to carry more armour and dish out more firepower.

      Don't think for a moment that military applications of super-strength will mean Superman-style punching villains in the face. It won't. Ever.

      However a major topic throughough the last century has been the weight of ammo and equipment a soldier has to carry. It's a real issue. That's one of the r
      • Now picture giving each squad a direct link to their officers _all_ the time. Bidirectional. You can know _exactly_ what's happening at each point, in real time, and the soldiers can know exactly what's expected of them. You can instantly see when your troops are being pinned and flanked, and how, and you can tell them exactly how to counter it. Better yet they too can see a bigger picture and react in a more intelligent manner - By copying and pasting from old slashdot stories.

        Some soldiers(Marines) cou

      • Energy? (Score:3, Insightful)

        by r6144 (544027)
        I guess such things would cost a ton of energy, especially in a military setting. Can reasonably-sized batteries last long enough for this? Or does every soldier need to carry around a few litres of gasoline, making them suicide bombs when hit by a bullet at the wrong place? ::shudders::

      • Re:Is anyone else thinking super soldiers? (Score:4, Informative)

        by bobbis.u (703273) on Saturday July 23 2005, @05:52AM (#13143189)
        Individual armour has also been discarded precisely because of weight considerations: you _could_ make a breastplate that could stop a rifle round, but it was impractically heavy.


        This story and video [armytimes.com] show that American soldiers are currently using body armour that can stop rifle rounds. Although it doesn't say so anywhere, the sniper rifle was almost certainly 7.62mm. Here are some pictures of the aftermath: image 1 [msn.com] image 2 [msn.com].


        You are correct however that the armour is pretty heavy, but that is less of an issue for vehicle based soldiers rather than pure infantry.


        However, the problem with this powered exo-skeleton is that just the act of adding more weight, even if it is "self supporting", makes the soldier slower and less mobile (because of extra inertia). They need to be able to react very quickly and be able to dive to the ground, and jump behind cover, etc. There is a very long way to go before projects like this would actually improve a soldiers chances of survival. A better short term prospect is to continue to improve body armour to make it lighter.

    • you think that 30 grand per suit is going to be considered a downside to an Army that already spends thousands of dollars for a Shovel or Canteen (in 2005-halliburton-adjusted dollars)?

      Especially considering that the average US Footsoldier is expected to carry between 70-100 lbs of gear into combat, including laptop computers and countless other techno-devices...

      If i was a grunt in the army, i'd want one of these just so i didn't HAVE to actually lug all that crap into battle - at least not exerting 100%

  • SOmeone has to say it... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I, for one, welcome our power-armoured, elderly, overlords.
  • Yes it helps elderly with strength, so does it help the older men with sex incase viagra doesn't get it up?
  • this might seem like a good idea, but if they're not using their muscles anymore and this thing does all the work what happens when they take this machine off? Or do they become so dependent on it they can't function without it?

    nice..... let's get them hooked on crack while we're at it.

    here's another idea. How about they get back in the gym and work on the muscles they already have. Sure they'll never win a strong man competition but at least they can get out of bed without robotic legs.

    • I have to agree with you for much of it. My grandfather absolutly hates how this one company pushes those electric chairs. He says it's generally only a few months before they become totally dependant on it(unable to stand up at all), and they generally go quickly downhill.

      But still, there are people, not all elderly, who are afflicted with diseases that sap their strength no matter what they do. For these people, it can be a godsend.

      Also, if you have an elderly person stuck in a wheelchair, you should

  • I for one... (Score:3, Funny)

    by TJ_Phazerhacki (520002) <(ellomdian) (at) (gmail.com)> on Saturday July 23 2005, @01:48AM (#13142660) Journal
    Welcome our new geriatric, robotic overlords...

    Wait... I've heard that one before.. where was it....

    OH YEAH, ON /, a few weeks ago. About the same story.

    DUPE!

    At what point is an artcle restating a previous article's content not a dupe? How far must it be removed to still be considered news?

    • At what point is an artcle restating a previous article's content not a dupe? How far must it be removed to still be considered news?

      Technically, it would need to be an update or a follow up article which included more information than the previous incarnation.

      This is a simple dupe. :-P
  • ...When can I get my V3 Legs?
  • WARNING: Persons denying the existence of robots may be robots themselves.
  • We'd all be old people.

  • All you need... (Score:3, Funny)

    by mendaliv (898932) on Saturday July 23 2005, @02:00AM (#13142706)
    All you'll need to do to get this really popular in the states is to start showing Aliens over and over, and have this company's commercial mixed in.

    "Get away from her you BITCH!"
  • Ya gotta laugh don't ya?
  • I actually did RTFA and II saw no mention what so ever about Chainsaw Hands.

    While I may expect this to save me tons on Old Glory Robot Insurance [robotcombat.com] premiums, I would still not have the ability to rip through their nanocarbon exoskeleton, tear out their still beating fusion generator and smash it to pieces.

    Is it really so much to ask for???
    Gimme Chainsaw Hands DAGNABBIT!!

  • HAL-5 ?? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 23 2005, @02:09AM (#13142728)
    So that's like 8995 more HALs before this is interesting.

  • Just in time.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Hamster Lover (558288) * on Saturday July 23 2005, @02:12AM (#13142736) Journal
    for Schwarzenegger's next movie!

    They could combine the Terminator/RoboCop story line:

    Prime Directives:

    1. Get off my lawn!
    2. Protect the elderly.
    3. Uphold Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security.

  • Sports Training Applications? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by pHatidic (163975) on Saturday July 23 2005, @02:12AM (#13142737) Homepage
    Can I use this to train for rowing? Do squats in this suit so that I shred the crap out of my quads faster than every before, so that I can squat 450 lbs naturally by the time race day rolls around?


    I know that if this would actually work, plenty of teams would pay a million dollars per unit for them. Who wants to give me a prototype to test out?

  • Couldn't you see it coming after Johnny five? Asian man: What are you doing Grandpa 5? GP5: I went out galavanting with some young whipper snappers!! It was great, I felt alive again. Los Locos kick your ass, los locos kick your face, los locos kick your balls into outer space!!! Sing it with you yeh young whipper snapper..
  • Japan has seen a growing market for technology geared toward the elderly, who are making up an increasing chunk of the population as fewer younger Japanese choose to start families.

    A government report last week showed that pensioners made up a record 19.5 percent of the country's population in 2004 and that the ratio will grow rapidly, surpassing 35 percent in 2050.

    Did anyone else shudder at the image of senior citizens ambling down the street in robot suits? Just imagine the damage potential. What if th
  • You have to realize though that the Japanese are desperate. While we have plenty of able bodied people to care for elderly, they aren't so lucky. In a matter of decades their work force is going to implode under the strain of an older population.

    I can see this as fallout (no pun intended) from WWII really. The US had a baby boom; Japan had to cope with assimilating, through occupation, a new culture. A culture that was somewhat incompatible with their social norms. Now birth rates are falling because what is left of their old culture in their personalities and sensibilities is grinding against their new culture's pace and density. Raising a family is "lame", so nobody is doing it. All this, of course, is gross over-generalization; take it with a giant grain of salt.

    If you ask my opinion though, now is the perfect time to start your own Japanese empire.
    1. Move to Japan
    2. Have like 12 kids
    3. Wait a couple generations
    4. ...
    5. Profit! (genetically speaking)
    Just make sure to save a couple of kids to care for you when you are old and infirm. I seriously doubt this robo-suit thing will pan out.
    • If you ask my opinion though, now is the perfect time to start your own Japanese empire.

      1. Move to Japan
      2. Have like 12 kids
      3. Wait a couple generations
      4. ...
      5. Profit! (genetically speaking)

      Just make sure to save a couple of kids to care for you when you are old and infirm. I seriously doubt this robo-suit thing will pan out.

      The problem is LI #1 - Move to Japan. The main reason we in the US won't have as much of a problem with aging boomers as Japan (who also had a post-WWII boom) i
  • 1. Can my grandad run linux?
    2. Can he run faster than I bike?
    3. What happens if the remote fails?
  • I don't know how many of you remember the episode of Southpark where Mr. (now MS) Garrison takes on the goddamned airline industry with his wizzy mono-wheel device that wisks mere humans along at >300mph. All I can say is as long as we potential cutomers don't end up having to use those "special controls" (large oral and anal inserts operated with a to and fro bobbing motion but that are totaly optional with the simple joystick thingie being obscured) then hey, it ain't all bad ;-)

  • muscle decay or muscle stimulation (Score:5, Insightful)

    by iamnot (849732) on Saturday July 23 2005, @02:42AM (#13142825)
    The issue of muscle loss when using such a device could go either way - the ability to move around much more actively could actually stimulate muscles. Resistance could be fine-tuned so that the muscles gradually strengthen. Often, the reason old people become so weak is that they are afraid to do things, or at least do them actively (my own grandmothers are afraid to be outside) - so having a body suit would be amazing, if they actually leave the house!!

  • Power Assist Suit (Score:3, Informative)

    by pararox (706523) on Saturday July 23 2005, @04:02AM (#13143006)
    I live in Chicago and just recently attended the Wired NextFest, where there was a demo for a "Power Assist Suite" (see a picture here: http://www.vcl.uh.edu/~pavlidis/nextfest/photos/Fi gure%2017.JPG [uh.edu]). It was cool in concept, but I was rather let down having seen the thing in action; it was extremely cumbersome and took a good ten minutes to prepare.

    The device here looks much more appropriate, while having many of the same features as the one presented at NextFest.

  • HAL? (Score:3, Funny)

    by ndogg (158021) <the.rhorn@nOspaM.gmail.com> on Saturday July 23 2005, @04:10AM (#13143019) Homepage Journal
    I'm sorry Dave. You can't move that way. No, I'm serious Dave, your arthritis is getting worse, and you haven't taken your arthritis medicine yet today.

  • Hell's Grannies (Score:3, Informative)

    by Nept (21497) on Saturday July 23 2005, @04:46AM (#13143086) Journal
    Voice Over: What are they in it for, these old hoodlums, these layabouts in lace?

    First Granny: (voice over) Well it's something to do isn't it?

    Second Granny: (voice over) It's good fun.

    Third Granny: (voice over) It's like you know, well, innit, eh?

    Voice Over: Favourite targets for the old ladies are telephone kiosks.

    http://orangecow.org/pythonet/sketches/grannies.ht m [orangecow.org]

  • Isaac Asimov's new book... (Score:3, Funny)

    by talaphid (702911) on Saturday July 23 2005, @07:10AM (#13143362) Journal
    I, Grandpa

    The gripping anthology of questions posed in story format regarding the nature of octogenerianism in the face of the mechanical man: what does it truly mean to be Abraham Simpson? Similar to the Turing Problem, if you construct a black box where one inserts apple and receieve mush, at what point can one fool a double blind surveyor as to which is the machine-octogenarian and which is the Real McCoy.

    • Power Amor! (Score:5, Funny)

      by HermanAB (661181) on Saturday July 23 2005, @02:16AM (#13142756)
      No, Power Amor - inevitable once Viagra fails to work...
    • I don't trust old people with driving none-the-less built in computer suit.

      I think there other issues such as what happens if they have a medical condition (or otherwise) that could lead them to strike out at others? Arm then you give them a warrant to do anything -- provided you don't stop them as soon as they start doing things they shouldn't.

      Obviously this could happen regardless of age but can be more common as our bodies break down (i.e. where being elderly comes in). The theory seems sound un

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