Everyone who has seen the 1986 scifi classic Aliens likely remembers Ripley calling out to the alien queen, saying, “Get away from her you b!@%#.” Her confidence wasn’t based upon her own strengths – the alien is well suited to take on Vin Diesel, let alone a 120lb actress. She had a power loader, and soon we may have one, too.
Activelink, a Panasonic subsidiary venture, is working on a “power amplification robot” that receives input from the operator through force sensors. If the operator lifts his or her leg, the sensors in the leg register the motion and duplicate it with the strength of motor-driven steel behind it. It can be used in construction as well as in emergency situations such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster which inspired the team to start working on the Power Loader Lite.
The goal is to create an exoskeleton with all-axis assist. Here it is in action.
