HAL robotic exoskeleton from Cyberdyne now available in the U.S.

By Pat Loika - SDCC 2012, CC BY 2.0, Link See linked article for actual image

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently gave its stamp of approval to Cyberdyne, and now, it has officially made its way to the U.S. But don’t worry: Skynet isn’t on the cards just yet. In fact, it’s a Japanese robotics company that just so happens to have the same name as the company from the Terminator movies, which is responsible for blowing up mankind.

What the FDA has specifically given its approval to is HAL (which is also the name of a fictitious A.I. villain from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey). Cyberdyne’s HAL is short for Hybrid Assistive Limb, and refers to a lower-body exoskeleton that can enhance users’ strength and stability. HAL involves sensors that attach to the users’ legs, which detect bioelectric signals sent from the brain to the muscles, triggering the exoskeleton to move.

ICyberdyne calls it “the world’s first robotic medical device.” It has previously been marketed as a medical device in the European Union and Japan, but the FDA’s medical clearance in the United States back up HAL’s therapeutic effects. And now, folks across the nation should be able to put HAL to the test, as Cyberdyne announced Friday that it is working with the Brooks Cybernic Treatment Center of Jacksonville, Florida to make HALs available. Read more.