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Japanese Deploying Powered Exoskeletons for Elderly 352

Posted by michael from the tall-buildings-in-a-single-bound dept.
FoeNyx writes "The AFP is reporting that 30 Tokyo firms have planned to set up a joint-venture in next spring to market an 'exo-skeleton type power assist system' named HAL (Hybrid Assistive Leg) developed by Yoshiyuki Sankai, professor and engineer at the Sankai Lab, a Cybernetics specialized Laboratory of the Tsukuba University. When will the next generation be available?" The elderly with their exoskeletons and the bionic nurses will make quite a sight at Japanese nursing homes.
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Japanese Deploying Powered Exoskeletons for Elderly

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  • Good News / Bad News (Score:5, Funny)

    by JamesSharman ( 91225 ) * on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:47AM (#6764325)
    The good news is this will give far more mobility to the elderly.

    The bad news is that the computer runs Linux** and as such the elderly will need to pay SCO $699* every time they go for a walk

    *Introductory price only, increases after October 15th, 2003
    **This is a joke, it probably doesn't

  • hal.. (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:49AM (#6764338)
    open the podbay doors hal.

  • Already Done here (Score:5, Funny)

    by Gothmolly ( 148874 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:49AM (#6764340)
    As seen here [theonion.com], Dr. Stephen Hawking, one of the smartest people in the world, has already perfected an exoskeleton for the disabled.

  • There is no way in hell... (Score:4, Funny)

    by ihummel ( 154369 ) <ihummel@gmail. c o m> on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:49AM (#6764344)
    that I would buy any computerized/electronic product named HAL. Especially if it were going to go on my body.

  • Havoc (Score:3, Funny)

    by te amo ( 690205 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:49AM (#6764345)
    Now the elderly don't even need cars to kill people. They have killer robot suits! ...To the farmer's market, Esther!

  • Ob (someone's got to say it) (Score:5, Funny)

    by llamalicious ( 448215 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:50AM (#6764351) Journal
    Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.

    *ducks*

    Wild though, they envision pull-on exoskeletons in the future... but even if they could reduce the bulk another 50% it'd still be amazing.

    I've always wondered how fast/accurately they skeletons react to human initiated/controlled motion, say, I decide to start lifting my left leg. Well, if I'm walking, I don't want to lift it all the way, simply enough to move it forward a small amount to prepare for the same with the right leg. Do these skeletons sense resistance to movement and stop/switch directions? (I put a little force downward to let the exo-leg know I'm not doing the can-can?) /needs coffee.
    • I've always wondered how fast/accurately they skeletons react to human initiated/controlled motion

      Grandpa to grandma: Come on! Let's put our exo-skeletons and have high-speed sex!

      Scary, but I would not mind seeing the movie....
    • Not to be cruel or anything. But what has gotten into Americans/Japanese about this irrational fear of dying and the desire to be breathing (not necessarily alive) for incredibly long periods of time.

      If you had your brand new exoskeleton, what would that give you? Are you going to go to work, climb a mountain, ride a bike, drive a car, have children? At most it will give you the freedom to get out of a chair and get a glass of water, go to the bathroom, or whatever. If that was an improvement to my lif

      • Re:Ob (someone's got to say it) (Score:4, Funny)

        by paroneayea ( 642895 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @10:57AM (#6764994) Homepage
        Perhaps soon enough we will be able to do away with the elderly, and replace them with these robotic suits!
      • Not to be cruel or whatever, but what has gotten into Americans/Japanese about this irrational fear of dying and the desire to keep their teeth in good condition as they age.

        Yeah if you brush your teeth three times a day, maybe your teeth will stay with you until you're 90. So what? Are you going to bother to eat chocolates when your 80? Will it make you young enough for me to not tease you about your incontinence? No of course not.

        The people in some other culture more wise than ours had old people too. A

  • Beware of the drunk :) (Score:3, Funny)

    by Zemran ( 3101 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:50AM (#6764352) Homepage Journal
    I want one of these to get me home when I am wasted :) Why do I have to wait until I am too old to enjoy it?

  • Big cultural differences between us and the Japane (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Hairy_Potter ( 219096 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:50AM (#6764353) Homepage
    se.

    They like to keep everything in human form, the Asimo and now these exoskeletons.

    While, in the US, we put our infirm, fat and aged on scooters and wheel chairs, like rascals and hover-rounds.

    Then again, if this works, maybe we can start seeing late night infomercials about getting medicaid to pay for your exo-skeleton.
    • In our defense I have to point out that at least we don't have a national obsession with Hello Kitty.
    • But the wheelchairs, scooters, and rascals are MUCH more practical.

      Falling can be catastrophic to an elderly person, with brittle bones and less ability to react to minimize the fall. I can only imagine how much worse it will be to fall with another 75 lbs of batteries and gizmos strapped to your back.

      Another cultural difference (I'm not japanese, nor have I been there but know some who have - correct me if wrong) is the proliferation of highrises and whatnot. In such a small country, much of the constr
      • Actually the device only ways 17 kilograms, and the article says it'll be down to 10 kg soon. That's not much added weight.

        I'm assuming that the exoskeleton would be padded or in some other way designed to take the impact.

        Or maybe it'll be impossible to tip over like a Segway. I could just see a commercial where an American football player tries to lay a savage tackle on grandma in her new exoskeleton and bounces harmlessly away.

  • Holy crap! (Score:3, Funny)

    by jwriney ( 16598 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:50AM (#6764357) Homepage
    "Robo-Grandma Vs. Godzilla", coming to theatres near you...

    --riney

    • Re:Holy crap! (Score:2, Funny)

      by RLW ( 662014 )
      Today in the news: a roving band of exoskeleton-blue hairs held up a convenience store. In addition to taking all the cash they could nab, two of the perps were seen carrying off a row of shelves full of hair care products and over the counter medications. As an odd side note the only injury occurred after one of the robo-bandits instructed a by-stander to stop slouching. When the by-stander didn't respond he received a sharp rap across the back of his hand. He was later quoted as saying "That really hurt.

  • Gread idea, but... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Blaine Hilton ( 626259 ) * on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:50AM (#6764358) Homepage
    I for one think this is a great idea. Many people have an injury, and can not walk for awhile and then its game over for them. If I'm not mistaken this is why nobody wants a broken hip, because the hip is the least of the worries. All of the complications from it and the fact that you will be in bed and not mobile and everything.

    A system like they are developing can have huge consequences, not only on the person's physical abilities, but also on their mental well being. It's no fun to live in a bed, and have to have others help you to do anything and everything except sleep.

    Now if only normal people could afford such a beast...

    • Re:Gread idea, but... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by ultraw ( 99206 )
      Keep in mind, that the skeletion only aids the movement. It is not intended to replace broken bones (and/or other parts). The human skeletion still carries the weight of the human (plus the backpack with a computer, a battery pack, cooling fans,...)

      Although I guess that it can easily adopted to support broken limbs...

      Here, more than ever: "a small step for (a old) man,..."
    • A few more generations of this and we'll have battalions of robotic elderly launching strikes against terrorist P2P downloaders!

    • Balance might be an issue (Score:5, Interesting)

      by The Tyro ( 247333 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @10:23AM (#6764695)
      Loss of balance and muscular weakness seem to be the major factors I've seen in elderly hip fractures... that and frank syncope (loss of consciousness). This might help with the latter, but balance might still be up the the individual's own vestibular and proprioceptive systems. If you experienced syncope, I doubt this contraption would hold you up.

      You're quite correct regarding the complications. As far as hip fractures go, most orthopedists advocate agressive surgical repair of those injuries, with pinning/surgical fixation of some, and outright joint replacement for those that cannot be pinned (depends on the location and type of fracture). This is largely due to the risk of Thromboembolic disease (Deep Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolus) from prolonged immobilization and bed rest. Years ago, bed rest was the standard therapy for broken hips... God only knows how many people died as a result of that therapy (was thought at the time to be the best treatment... thank God for medical progress).

      The other question with these devices is how much they would lead to deconditioning of elderly patients. Exercise really IS good for you, and keeps your muscles strong through stimulus and use... anything that isn't used enough WILL atrophy. That's one of the reasons for "rehab" centers that have grown up, primarily to act as a bridge between hospitalization and home. Some elderly patients are so deconditioned after a long hospital stay (eg. for pneumonia or urinary tract infection) that they require physical therapy and reconditioning before they are able to go home and function. This device might lead people to become totally dependent upon it.

      To say nothing of the fact that it probably wouldn't help the extremely heavy patients. I regularly see 400 to 600 lb patients in my ER (takes half my staff, myself included, just to get them into a bed... often two ambulance crews get called to their homes just to get them to the hospital).

  • We can rebuild him... (Score:3, Funny)

    by henbane ( 663769 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:51AM (#6764365)
    Better, stronger, faster....

    sound [myboot.com]

    • New powers (Score:3, Funny)

      by Hoi Polloi ( 522990 )
      He's able to complain to the waiter faster than ever before, he's more powerful than a freshly charged "Rascal" scooter, his ability to write letters complaining to the newspaper editor is incredible. Watch out Miami Florida, here he comes.

  • I , for one, (Score:5, Funny)

    by Richthofen80 ( 412488 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:51AM (#6764366) Homepage
    welcome our robotically assisted elderly masters!

  • <cruelty>Whats going to happen when ... It's infected by SOBIG or MSBLAST!</cruelty>

  • What I want to know is (Score:5, Funny)

    by TerryAtWork ( 598364 ) <research@aceretail.com> on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:54AM (#6764404)
    When will one of them put on spandex and fight crime with one?

  • So what? This stuff exists, and has existed for a while.

    Just because this thing has wireless lan built in (for some reason? tracking by nurses?) doesn't make it all that new.

    Frankly if you cant get around with regular (unpowered) braces, you're probably going to find more mobility from a wheelchair.

  • This can only lead to trouble... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Colin Walsh ( 1032 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:56AM (#6764419)
    The Japanese should know better than to give the elderly access to powered exoskeletons [imdb.com].

    -Colin

    • Social commentary (Score:5, Informative)

      by Chagatai ( 524580 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @10:41AM (#6764835) Homepage
      Sligtly OT, I know, but Roujin Z was actually a witty social commentary on several factors in Japan. First, it criticized the social atmosphere in Japan where the elderly are increasingly being dumped by their families to caretakers and set aside to die slowly. However, compared to the number of convalescent homes in the US, the Japanese are still far more respective to their elderly than Americans overall. Think Grandpa Simpson.

      Second, it criticized the government and its lackluster attitude. This is an increasingly common theme in Anime and Japanese movies as people are becoming more irritated at their government, also illustrated in other well-known shows like Akira and Bubblegum Crisis. Wouldn't you be upset if your government had several trillion dollars in debt and an interest rate less than two percent? Oh, wait...

      Lastly, it also showed the gregarious overuse of technology as a means to solve all social ills. The bed that houses the "test" elderly man is designed to cater to his every need and technically keep him going without human interaction (though it is mentioned that he could communicate with other elderly via the bed's comm system). And, in case of nuclear attack, the bed will seal itself in concrete permanently.

      Altogether, Roujin Z was a funny film and a good satire. My favorite part is when the bed assimilates the Daibutsu (Giant Buddha) and goes for a walk to the hospital.

  • Whoa, one step closer to "The Winter Market" ;)

    Seriously though, it's great to see such a fantastic technology deployed commercially to meet a *peacefull* need. I always thought exoskeletons would be a military 'breakthrough' first ;)

  • Oblig. Simpsons Ref. (Score:5, Funny)

    by handy_vandal ( 606174 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:57AM (#6764431) Homepage Journal

    "One thing is certain: the exoskeletons will soon be here. And I for one welcome our new geriatric overlords ...."

  • The Wrong Trousers? (Score:5, Funny)

    by koniosis ( 657156 ) <koniosisNO@SPAMhotmail.com> on Friday August 22, 2003 @09:57AM (#6764432)
    Anyone reminded of the wrong trousers?

    Wallace And Gromit [aardman.co.uk]

    Imagine one of those exoskeletons going on a mad rampage with a pensioner

  • We are here to protect you (Score:3)

    by Thoguth ( 203384 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @10:00AM (#6764460) Homepage
    Grandma is protected. Grandma has gone down the stairs.
  • I remember watching a movie, this summer, about the day the robots took over the Earth. It never mentionned it would start with the elderly. This is really going to take us by surprise!

  • What about balance? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Syre ( 234917 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @10:01AM (#6764472)
    One major problem older people have is balance.

    Balance is both a neurological and muscular issue. To balance you need:

    - A set of clear inputs from your feet telling you about the surface you're trying to stand on, its angles, its texture, etc.
    - Inputs from your inner ear, telling you what angle you are standing at.
    - Other proprioception to accurately judge joint angles.
    - The ability to integrate these inputs.
    - Output to your muscles to maintain balance, especially while walking or when stepping onto something uneven.

    This exoskeleton appears to amplify only a few muscle movements. Those connected with balance requiring strength in the ankle joints, the feet, etc. as well as angular motions of the knees don't appear to be covered in this device. Nor does it appear to help with balance.

    For such a device to be really practical for disabled elderly, it needs to be able to balance on its own. I'm sure that's coming eventually but this device doesn't appear to be it.

    • For such a device to be really practical for disabled elderly, it needs to be able to balance on its own.

      I think the producers of Segway have just found another niche market :)

    • just use some gyros a la segway!
    • Well it does seem to have foot sensors.

      Don't underestimate what a few sensors wired to a well tuned dynamic control system can do. Look at the Segway for example. It can balance in ways that a human cannot.

      Our neural systems are very good at coordinating a huge array of muscles to work together well especially adaptively in new situations, but we really can't compete with computers when it comes to balance.

  • Haven't these Japanese engineers ever seen Roujin Z [animefu.com]?
  • If this ever makes it to the US, cafeteria-style restaurants like Luby's and Furr's are going to be hell at 5 o'clock in the afternoon when the newly-mobile octogenarians swarm the place for the senior dinner specials.

    I can see it now...

    "I don't think that discount rang up right, miss."
    "But sir..."
    [points giant crushing gripper hand at her throat]
    "How about that, sir! Looks like we owe you $5 ---"
    [opens giant crushing gripper hand]
    "--- err --- $20 dollars!"

  • Fast and the furious (Score:3, Funny)

    by geekmetal ( 682313 ) <vkeerthy@gmail.cAAAom minus threevowels> on Friday August 22, 2003 @10:03AM (#6764486) Journal
    With the equipment, the user can walk at a speed of four kilometres (2.5 miles) per hour with little physical exertion and avoid the jerky stop-go moves of ordinary robots.

    Yay! We can now have better races, those damn wheelchairs were no fun!

    But seriously this is an amazing thing worth applauding and encouraging.

  • will their Old Glory insurance plan against robot attacks cover them?
  • next they'll be raising the Battelship Yamato and making it into a spaceship. I've seen this show before.
  • Yeah, sure - now grandma will need someone to get her in and out of the backpack/lifting system ... how much does that backpack weigh, anyhow? Her back is bad enough already...

  • This doesn't solve the biggest problem.... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Faeton ( 522316 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @10:06AM (#6764506) Homepage Journal
    that elderly people have, which is falling (this might surprise some of you). Elderly people falling is the *leading* cause of injury death (so heart attacks don't count) and severe injuries to old folks. Yes, gravity is the worst enemy for senior citizens.

    But this exo-skeleton does nothing really to solve that problem. In fact, it can even make the falling problem even more severe, by allowing people that have lost their sense of balance to walk. Just like the fact that some old folks shouldn't be driving, some should not be walking, for their own safety.

  • So someone just ripped off M.A.N.T.I.S. [tvtome.com]?

    Who wants to be an elderly super hero?

  • Bad Idea (Score:3, Interesting)

    by nycsubway ( 79012 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @10:07AM (#6764521) Homepage
    Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea? There comes a point when you can augment the human body so much. Especially when you augment it to the point of replacing it entirely. For people who actually have a sense of self worth, I for one, would be devestated to see that someone wanted to replace my body with a machine.

    When I become old and frail, I hope I can live with the dignity that all people should have at some point in their lives. Especially when they are getting old.

    • Re:Bad Idea (Score:5, Insightful)

      by phurley ( 65499 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @10:24AM (#6764706) Homepage
      Am I the only one who thinks this is a bad idea?
      I doubt you are the only one, but I am proud to not be in your company. I will avidly search out medical and mechanical advantage to increase my life span and ability - because of my sense of self worth. Time will defeat my flesh and I will die, but I will not give up without a fight.

  • Rjin Z? (Score:2)

    by KH ( 28388 )
    Funny that no one has mentioned Rojin Z [imdb.com] yet.

    The creator of Akira saw this coming...

  • Oblig. Story about military use (Score:3, Interesting)

    by aliens ( 90441 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @10:09AM (#6764542) Homepage Journal
    Here [wired.com]

    I remember Popular Science(I think) doing a piece on an exoskeleton that would give soliders the ability to lift heavy objects etc. with ease. Not sure if this is the same.
  • The inevitable "Rojin Z" jokes, referencing the anime about a super-robotic caregiver that goes on a rampage.

    In all seriousness, if this is commonplace, it changes the place of technology in many lives and the lives people lead. What will happen when the infirm are freed from wheelchairs, yet what maintenance issues will arise?

  • Been there, done that. [animeondvd.com] The possibility of mecha-elderly gone awry is a scary thing.
  • As slashdot has reported before the iBOT is Very good at balancing, you can sit in it and it'll hold you up right all by itself, quite impressive. If they can do it with an iBOT theres nothing to say they can't do it with this. Although working with wheels is a lot easier than an exoskeleton. Its just a mathmatics in the end and whether the skeleton can respond fast enough. Interresting point, I look forward to seeing how well it balances.

    Also checkout Asimo [honda.com] which shows brillant balance technology, being
  • Looks like they'd need to combine the bionic suit with the exoskeleton. Most elderly wobbly walkers wouldn't have a hope in hell of carrying a backpack like that. They have enough trouble keeping their own weight right side up.

    Still once the manufacturers have got rid of the bulky backpack, it would be nice to see exoskeletons replace the battery scooters [asagroup.com.au] that are rife in my suburb and local shopping centers.
  • This famous film [imdb.com] (well, famous for a Japanese film) might have been more of an influence than Wallace & Gromit. I tried to watch it once but it's more than a bit weird.
  • I'll be more impressed when these things come with upgrades like "Ice Beam" and "Morph Ball".

  • ...in nursing homes (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Bushcat ( 615449 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @10:17AM (#6764625)
    ...will make quite a sight at Japanese nursing homes.

    Well this is exactly the problem. To slightly overstate the situation, there are no nursing homes in Japan. By which, I mean there are no transitional communities for the aged, no communities for the aged which retain a certain independence and dignity, nothing, nada, zilch. The traditional Japanese approach to the aged is that the oldest daughter in the family looks after the parents. Right now, the system is going titsup.com faster than you would believe because, firstly, all the daughters lived at home and delayed marrying as long as possible because their disposable income far exceeds what they can expect as a newlywed (there are entire cruise lines in Japan targeting women only), and secondly when they do marry, they move away from home and rarely return.

    There's no sensible infrastructure for looking after the aged in Japan. There are an infinite number of token gestures, such as buttons at train stations so staff will rush to place a small ramp on the platform so a chairbound person can get on, all trains have a seat-free area for a wheelchair, but there is nothing that offers older people the ability to live at home for as long as possible and then transition to a managed facility.

    To cope with this, industry is targeting older people partly because it is a growth market, and partly as a defensive survival tactic since the birthrate continues to decline. This can be seen in a range of products, such as hot water pots (ubiquitous in Japan) that phone home when the usage pattern changes, and small robotic pets that don't do a great deal but offer comfort and, again, have the ability to detect changes in usage patterns and transmit a warning.

    I figure building exoskeletons for everyone that needs one in Japan is probably cheaper than building the infrastructure everyone thought they were paying for with their compulsory pension fees.

    To witter on further and doom myself to be off-topic, consider this:

    A lady in an aged facility has a problem with her stomach. The facility has a doctor on call, who has no skill in that area.

    A family member decides a consultation is needed, so arranges for the lady to get scanned and have followup treatment, since stomach cancer is endemic in Japan.

    The facility can't accept that, and insists the lady is removed from the facility 24 hours before any consultation not arranged by their own doctor and returned at least 24 hours after the consultation, to protect the dignity of the doctor.

    Well, color me unimpressed, but if manufacturers in Japan make exoskeletons, emotion-surrogate robots, kitchen equipment that monitors daily patterns and anything else like that, it's fine by me, no matter how many westerners snigger.

  • I can see it now...

    1. MS sets up Windows controlled exoskeleton

    2. MS insists on adding internet capability so you can check on Grandma's health, talk to her remotely, etc.

    3. Hackers and Spammers figure out how to send viruses, etc to the connected exosekeltons.

    4. Seniors are found immobilized when their suits crash or are forced to dance uncontrollably because their bodies are "owned".
  • http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?sto ry=436017
  • Holy mecha Batman, wasn't there an anime [animeworld.com] written about this ? I can never tell when the Japanese are serious, when they are making a publicity stunt, or when they go all out and implement something totally crazy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll go see if the trains to Central Dogma are still running in my Geofront...

  • Progress? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by gregarican ( 694358 )
    Is this really progress? I have also read that genetic scientists are working on future projects that might be able to extend the average human lifespan to well over 100 years old. What is that worth? The people mentally would be out on Pluto.

    It is frigtening thinking of some shrivelled-up husk of a person (whom is alive by the definition of still possessing a pulse) squeaking around in a metal people-pod. It is frightening enough seeing them buzzing around the grocery store in those damn Larks and Rascals

  • picking a name like HAL?

    im sorry dave, i cant move your leg.

    does it have a big glowing red eye? (the site appears to be slashdotted)
  • I can see it all now

    Elderly: I really need to go to the bathroom.
    Leg: I don't think I can do that, Dave ...
  • ...there are legions of old folks defending the gates of zion.

    see, lloyd xmas was right: old people, while slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose!

    Don't you go dyin' on me!

  • HAL (Score:2, Funny)

    by SugoiMonkey ( 648879 )
    "I'm sorry Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."

    But I really gotta go...BAD!

  • 1) ED209 and stairs, need I say more?

    2) At least they had the good grace to let Murphy die first!
  • Trouble Shooting

    1. Under no circumstances grant control of exoskeliton to penguin.
  • Stephen Hawking has a much better system [theonion.com].
  • Number one: The inevitable stories (showing up on Fark) of amusing and scary exo-skeleton-gone-wrong stories. Number two: The inevitable hack that will enable Geeks to fully participate in a social activity called "dancing".
  • I have a scary thought of my Grandmother yelling at me, "get away from her ... you bitch!"
  • Not that this isn't way cool and conjures up wonderful pictures in my mind of a platoon of exoskeleton-clad septagenarians battling Godzilla in the debris-strewn streets of Tokyo, but if you step back for a moment, you will realize that this is the most inefficient way to increase the general public health. While the elderly are affluent and politically connected, their descendents and society in general would be way better off if a fraction of those resources going to robotic shit were used to give basic c

  • Why WLAN (Score:3, Interesting)

    by photon317 ( 208409 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @10:53AM (#6764955)

    The breif linked info page mentions a wireless lan connection, but it never says why it needs it. It seems the laptop inside is doing all the realtime calculations it needs, and WLAN remote computing would probably be too slow for muscle reactions anyways. What's up with the unit having a WLAN connection? And does that limit the user to being near a specific WLAN set up to work with the legs?

  • HAL?! (Score:2)

    by horsie ( 91009 )
    Grandma: "I need to take a leak."
    HAL: "I'm sorry grandma, I can't let you that"
    Grandma: "AAAaaaaaargh!"

  • Roijin Z! (Score:3, Funny)

    by seebs ( 15766 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @11:33AM (#6765340) Homepage
    Now I'm worried.

  • Roujin Z (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Robotech_Master ( 14247 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @12:16PM (#6765875) Homepage Journal
    The funny thing is, this must have been inspired, at least in part, by a 1991 anime called Roujin Z [animefu.com] in which an elderly invalid's robotic caretaker/bed goes berzerk and menaces a city. Heh. Life imitates art.

  • Give it 5 years (Score:4, Funny)

    by TrippTDF ( 513419 ) <{moc.liamg} {ta} {dnalih}> on Friday August 22, 2003 @12:25PM (#6765968)
    Apple's latest device:

    The iGranny.

    Robotic movement for your grandmother, plus a 100 GB hard drive for all your mp3s so you don't have to listen to her.

  • Aunt Alice's Exoskelleton - Detroit Steel (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Embedded Geek ( 532893 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @12:53PM (#6766313) Homepage
    I have an 87 year old aunt in New Jersey (by the seashore, not up North where Tony Soprano dumps the bodies) and almost half the women in her garden club have busted their hips. While there are various scenarios, most of them were injured by slipping on the ice in the morning while getting their mail.

    Several years ago, Alice decided not to become a statistic. She had always been a swimmer, but made a point to continue her exercise, swimming every day at the community pool. She took an additional, somewhat unorthodox precaution.

    In the winter she changes her daily routine. Every morning, she opens her garage, backs her Buick down the length of her driveway, and parks the thing. She then leans out to get her mail from the box, cranks the engine, and returns.

    Her neighbors used to think she was nuts. She doesn't care. She has both hips intact.

  • Yikes! (Score:3, Funny)

    by jerkychew ( 80913 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @12:57PM (#6766356) Homepage
    I first read the title as "Japanese Deploying Powered Executions for Elderly" I was going to say - I knew that Japan was overpopulated, but wow!

  • great now when grandma ling (Score:3, Funny)

    by Archfeld ( 6757 ) * <treboreel@live.com> on Friday August 22, 2003 @01:12PM (#6766506) Journal
    hits the gas instead of the break it with be with some real authority...Put the people with the least reliable senses and judgement out there with indordinate strenght and possibly speed..I like

    I am the mad bomber that bombs at midnight, Baby

  • not just for elderly (Score:3, Interesting)

    by utexaspunk ( 527541 ) on Friday August 22, 2003 @06:30PM (#6769427)
    there are lots of people this would be good for besides just the elderly. my father, for example has had to wear a brace on his right leg all his life because of polio. he has no control of it below the hip, and when he walks the brace just locks that leg straight, so he has to swing it around. he has difficulty with stairs, and the unbalanced load has caused a lot of problems with his left knee.

    this invention could very well lead to an active brace, which would give him much more mobility.

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