New HAL Exoskeleton: A Brain-Controlled Full Body Suit To Be Used In Fukushima

An anonymous reader writes "Cyberdyne announced today an improved version of the HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) robotic exoskeleton at the Japan Robot Show. From the article: 'he latest version of the HAL has remained brain-controlled but evolved to a full body robot suit that protects against heavy radiation without feeling the weight of the suit. Eventually it could be used by workers dismantling the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant."

I am not an expert on radiation by any means

[SmallFurryCreature]

I am not an expert on radiation by any means.... but... the head, legs and arms (and the crotch when walking) look awfully exposed to me. Or does white cloth reflect radiation?

Yes, I do know that nurses were aprons made of lead and are not fully encases in a lead lining but they are dealing with a small radiation source coming from a single spot. Anyone going into a reactor would be dealing with radiation coming from everywhere, constantly, for a long time. So the lead shield banging into your balls protects you, from radiation from the front, some of the time... WHOOT! Sign me up!

Oh and any radiation from the top, goes straight through the entire body. This is about as usefull as a bullet-proof vest, against a spear coming out of the ceiling.

If radiation were to come from only a single spot and didn't bounce around, you could simply use a lead sheet mounted on wheels between you and the radiation source and work faster and in greater comfort, since that is not an option apparently (surely someone tried this and discarded it as being the product of a deranged mind), I fail to see how what is essentially an expensive sieve is going to keep you safe.

Robert Heinlein would be proud

[Andy Prough]

Starship Troopers and the Mobile Infantry - here we come. Now all we need are better suits, pocket atomic hand-grenades, a one-world corporate-government, and an alien race to fight against.

Re:Cyberdyne created HAL.

[guttentag]

On purpose. Apparently the company [wikipedia.org] was founded in 2004 and named after the fictional company [wikipedia.org] from the Terminator franchise. Since they're going after the publicity, they should open a satellite office at 47131 Bayside Parkway, Fremont CA [google.com], the real-life location of the company's offices. And keep an out-of-service SWAT van in the parking lot.