I'm Sorry Dave, I'm Afraid I Can't Do That

~Reality has once again caught up with science-fiction: those ever-crazy Japanese have created a bionic power suit! Developed by scientists at Tsukuba University, the suit is called "HAL-5", which stands for "Hybrid Assistive Limb". It works by detecting muscle movements from hundreds of sensors, and translating them into robotic movements that greatly increase the strength of the user.

HAL-5 was built to assist disabled people and help workers carry heavy loads. Of course, the applications extend outward from there. It won't be long, I think, before we have commandos running around in Power Armor suits, or "Bionic Sports" where players are decked out with the latest robot exoskeletons to perform superhuman feats of strength (The Super Super Bowl?).

The power suit was used by Seiji Uchida, a Japanese man paralyzed in a car accident in 1983, to help him climb a mountain in Switzerland. Just think of how many people's lives could be aided by this kind of device. Naturally, as generations of humans get used to bionic enhancement, our own muscles will atrophy away until we're giant brains, but who cares? We'll be giant brains with power suits!

^ Picking up a full-grown adult is no problem for someone armed with HAL-5. Of course, the above picture is not that far from something like this:

^ Your obligatory Aliens reference. We now return to your regularly scheduled blog.

The true genius of HAL-5 is that, like the Power Loader above, it does not require any special knowledge to use. You just put it on, and it senses and amplifies your own movements. The user does not need to manipulate any controls except their own body. You know you want a bionic strength-enhancing exoskeleton! There's a little something to put on your Christmas list...

~Oyasumi.