I’ve written twice before on the Cyberdyne HAL suit, one of the first working exoskeletons to be demonstrated and brought to market. You can read the below articles for a description of the origins and capabilities of this exoskeleton.
- HAL exoskeleton available for renting in Japan
- Japanese quadriplegic attempts mountain climb using robotic exoskeleton
Recently, for what I am guessing is a marketing effort, 3 Cyberdyne employees put on their HAL suits and went outside for a stroll. You can watch that in the video below, courtesy NECN.
Numerous advancements in exoskeleton technology were achieved in 2008 with many research labs and companies releasing information about exoskeletons that are only one or two years away from going to production. This is an exciting area to keep an eye on because of how useful such exoskeletons can be for the elderly and the disabled.