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Peripherals - Thursday, November 8, 2007

The Return of The Bionic Man

Loved The Bionic Man. Who didn't? Now an outfit called Berkeley Bionics says it is he first company in the world to bring exoskeletons to market. What would one do with an exoskeleton? Become a tireless hiker or climber. Or more practically, they can provide soldiers, disaster relief workers, wildfire fighters, and other emergency personnel the ability to carry heavy loads such as food, rescue equipment, first-aid supplies, communications gear, and weaponry.

The company plans to augment human strength and endurance in the outdoors. This system provides its pilot with the ability to carry loads up to 150 pounds on his back "with minimal effort" over any type of terrain for extended periods of time without reducing his agility. The pilot's physical effectiveness increases significantly since he/she does not feel the backpack weight. An on-board computer ensures that the exoskeleton moves in concert with the pilot.

The exoskeleton is comprised of two powered anthropomorphic legs, a power unit, small on-boardcomputer, and a backpack on which a variety of heavy loads can be mounted.

The startup is a spinout from the Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory and is currently raising funding.

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