Science

Robotic 8-foot exoskeleton suit turns users into a frightening Terminator-like cyborg 


Robotic 8-foot exoskeleton suit that mimics human movement turns the wearer into a terrifying Terminator-style CYBORG

  • Japanese company demonstrates robot suit that responds to human grip
  • £35,000 exoskeleton is designed for ‘recreation and entertainment’ purposes
  • Tokyo-based developer Skeletonics wants to ‘guide the evolution of mankind’

A robotic exoskeleton that turns the wearer into a terrifying 8-foot tall robot that responds to human touch has been developed by a Japanese robotics company.  

Users inside the robot’s huge frame can move their limbs to control the suit’s arms and legs, while buttons on the robot’s hand grips also allow control of the fingers.

The ‘Arrive’ suit has been designed and demonstrated by a Tokyo-based company called Skeletonics, which says its products are designed to make you ‘feel as if you were a giant’.

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Skeletonics provides a human body function expansion gear that, when attached, makes you feel 'as if you were a giant'

Skeletonics provides a human body function expansion gear that, when attached, makes you feel ‘as if you were a giant’

SKELETONICS ARRIVE SPECS

Size: 8 feet

Weight: 40kg

Material: FRP resin 

Boarding time: 1 minutes

Operating time: 60 minutes

‘We, Japanese people, have the perception that robots equal something to fight, robots equal something to ride on,’ said Skeletonics CEO Kento Hiroi.

‘Those kind of image is very visually strong for us, so we are making this robot with the desire to make that dream come true.

‘We have been working in the entertainment field with using robots, we are focusing on making people in Japan and the world happy.’

The Skeletonics system uses a scary-sounding ‘master slave’ synchronisation mechanism that allows the robot to mimic human movement without electricity.

The rest of the body is constructed of electrical and mechanical elements and an outer shell made of fibre-enforced plastic resin.  

The Skeletonics Arrive model is 40kg in total  and is being sold for 5 million Yen, or £35,000

The Skeletonics Arrive model is 40kg in total  and is being sold for 5 million Yen, or £35,000

Skeletonics provides a human body function expansion gear that, when attached, makes you feel 'as if you were a giant'

Skeletonics provides a human body function expansion gear that, when attached, makes you feel ‘as if you were a giant’

‘Master slave’ enables dynamic movements of the limbs and works with robots that are both bigger and smaller than humans, according to Skeletonics. 

Skeletonics Arrive is the fourth exoskeleton product from the company. It is designed to be quicker to get into and out of than preceding models, and to put less of a burden on the human body.  

‘Mankind has prospered over various difficulties, using infinite wisdom, while restricting the size and finite power of its body,’ the company says on its website.

‘However, we have developed a technology that has the potential to create a new world without maximizing individual capabilities and without creating such restrictions.’ 

The company is providing customers with made-to-order versions of the Arrive robot, with the option of an intimidating glare of light on its head.

At the moment, the suits are intended for entertainment and recreation, rather than any industrial purposes.

But they don’t come cheap; Skeletonics Arrive starts at 5 million Japanese Yen (around £35,000) and human operators have to go through special training before they can wear them.

The suit is also available to rent for media events, tech exhibitions and theme parks. 

Skeletonics was founded in 2013 by ReyesTatsuru Shiroku and Tomohiro Aka, engineering graduates of the Okinawa National College of Technology.  

WHAT IS AN EXOSKELETON?

Exoskeletons are wearable devices that work in tandem with the user. The opposite of an exoskeleton device would be an autonomous robot that works instead of the operator.

Exoskeletons are placed on the user’s body and act as amplifiers that augment, reinforce or restore human performance. 

The opposite would be a mechanical prosthetic, such as a robotic arm or leg that replaces the original body part.

Exoskeletons can be made out of rigid materials such as metal or carbon fibre, or they can be made entirely out of soft and elastic parts.

Exoskeletons can be powered and equipped with sensors and actuators, or they can be entirely passive.

Exoskeletons can be mobile or fixed/suspended and can cover the entire body, just the upper or lower extremities, or even a specific body segment such as the ankle or the hip.

 



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