X-Ar; Almost Iron Man

As the news get's grimmer and grimmer coming out of Japan. We watch the news each hour hoping to catch a glimpse of a super-robot (you know) they have, to come and save the day. But, until then an American company is trying to compete in the "make everybody a cyborg", race. Very similar to the Hal exoskeleton that we told you about back in 2009! Equipois (don't ask me how to pronounce that), a California based company hopes to have factory workers and other people who do repetative heavy lifting, using these in the very near future. 

 

For around 2 to 3 grand anyone rich enough to consider that cheap can own one of these things and become a superhuman. Their website says officially that it will not make you a superhuman though. They claim it's  more for people who spend long hours extending their arms, like surgeons, and jewelers or dentist. Equipois  CEO Eric Golden (great name-can't be real), has hinted that a brain controlled interface could be easily attached to the X-Ar, but claims "they're a little bit away from kicking that off". The company states that it plans to further develop this technology to assist the disabled, such as veterans and people who are paralyzed. The company already makes a mechanical appendage that is kind of like a crude Dr. Octopus tentacle. Hopefully if this is successful they'll work on the aesthetic design as we inch closer to a full Iron Man suit! 

Iron Men walk the streets of Tokyo

Iron Man suits hit the street before part 2 even hits theaters. Japan's robotics venture Cyberdyne's with a name straight out of the comic books have created the robot-suit "HAL" (Hybrid Assistive Limb) with a name ripped straight from 2001 Space Odyssey, is now available for rent and is being tested on the streets of Tokyo:

HAL, an exoskeleton, is a mind-controlled wearable machine that gives humans enhanced mobility. It helps the wearer to stand up from a chair, walk, climb up and down stairs, and lift heavy objects. The suit can operate for almost five hours before it needs recharging. The exoskeleton has robotic limbs that strap to your arms and legs, and the suit's backpack contains a battery and computer controller. When the wearer attempts to move, nerve signals are sent from the brain to the muscles, and very weak traces of these signals can be detected on the surface of the skin. The HAL exoskeleton identifies these signals using a sensor, and a signal is sent to the suit's power unit telling the suit to move in sync with the wearer's own limbs.

HAL comes in three sizes -- small, medium and large and weighs in at 23kg (50.7 lbs). A single leg version rents for 150,000 yen ($1,570) a month, while a two-leg unit goes for 220,000 yen ($2,300) a month. Cyberdyne has yet to announce when HAL will go on sale to the public or what the price tag will be. Tokyo rentals were initiated in August, 2009. With fashionable cyborg exoskeletons now available for rent on the streets of Tokyo, can major U.S. cities be far behind?

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