Apr 4, 2021
The technology to give people superhuman powers is being developed, but is it the right thing to do?
This is a general discussion and mostly just has names that might be neat to look into further.
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The technology to give people superhuman powers is being developed, but is it the right thing to do?
This is a general discussion and mostly just has names that might be neat to look into further.
Exoskeletons normally cover insects, not humans. Why would a human ever want one? Is the possibility of an exoskeleton for humans just around the corner?
Biological discussion of literal exoskeletons aside, this is the article’s cool part:
“Although having real exoskeletons wouldn't be prudent for humans, some folks believe there are reasons for fashioning a wearable variety. Humans aren't the swiftest creatures on Earth, and most of us are limited in the amount of weight that we can pick up and carry.
These weaknesses can be fatal on the battlefield, and that's why the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is investing $50 million to develop an exoskeleton suit for ground troops. This wearable robotic system could give soldiers the ability to run faster, carry heavier weapons and leap over large obstacles. These exoskeletal machines could be equipped with sensors and global positioning system (GPS) receivers. Soldiers could use this technology to obtain information about the terrain they're crossing and how to navigate their way to specific locations. DARPA is also developing computerized fabrics that could be used with the exoskeletons to monitor heart and breathing rates.”
TL;DR: the article is old (2006), but afaik the US military is still one of the biggest financial supporters of this kind of research in the US, and this segment summarizes why.
"High-tech exoskeletons are being explored by firms including Hyundai Motor Co., Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. The technology, initially developed to help people who had lost the ability to walk or stand on their own, eases fatigue and helps prevent injury. It’s particularly useful for repetitive processes that can’t be automated even as robotics makes big inroads into the sector..."
Tl;dr: this is a bloomberg article discussing the pros of using human exos in automobile factories, particularly focusing on this in China.
Automobile Factories and Exos
Automobile factories are v interested in devices that can assist their employees because they’ve reached the limits of how much can be automated without humans involved, and now they’re looking for ways to make the humans that have to be involved more productive and less likely to get wear and tear.
On the cynical side: if they can get more productivity out of people by making them capable of lifting more, then the company’s profits increase. (This increase is particularly appealing when you know that there’s no inherent promise of employee salaries having to increase proportionally to their productivity. Also, a reduction of wear and tear on the employee is at least partly aimed at trying to reduce the amounts of legal settlements companies have to live with after their employees retire with repetitive motion injuries.
On the other side of this coin: people getting less injured isn’t a bad thing, and more productivity by itself isn’t a bad thing. The failure of employers be responsible stewards and fulfill the promise of automation isn’t a failure of the technology itself, but more a human issue that needs person-to-person solutions.
Exoskeletons have a huge potential for improving human performance and reducing workplace injuries, but do the benefits outweigh the risks?
This is an interesting discussion on industrial exoskeletons as they are now, how emerging ways to evaluate them are taking shape, and what some general findings are with these.
Punchline: some people find them useful, some don’t, and basically the tech isn’t perfect yet. A lot of the most publicly available info is direct from the people trying to sell the exoskeletons, and this doesn’t always reflect the actual reality of what using the devices is like.
Bionic Boots!: Edit: My youtube channel; https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCahMWRQFS99E3uV7f...has been revived and I will be posting regular updates of this project and others! please check it out and subscibe to be notified! :DAbout the Boots:As with all instruct…
My favorite comment here is from a guy who says he’s working with Keahni Seymour, and had some tips:
-use speargum=smoother run -don't use usual steel. Keashis boots are made of carbon and t6 alloy aluminium. I am on a budget, too, so I used wood(old bed). -make the tips of the shoes bent, so you run "on your toes" -best to start from are a pair of used inline-skates
He said he would post his own instructable later, but the comment is five years old, so either he posted it elsewhere or something happened.
“The evolution of the Bionic Boot: Prototypes, 2005-2014 (Keahi Seymour)”
(Picture and caption taken from this article.)