9/8/2017 HAL (robot) - Wikipedia

HAL (robot)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Hybrid Assistive Limb (also known as HAL) is a powered exoskeleton suit developed by
Japan's Tsukuba University and the robotics company Cyberdyne. It has been designed to support and Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL)
expand the physical capabilities of its users, particularly people with physical disabilities. There are
two primary versions of the system: HAL 3, which only provides leg function, and HAL 5, which is a
full-body exoskeleton for the arms, legs, and torso.

In 2011, Cyberdyne and Tsukuba University jointly announced that hospital trials of the full HAL suit
would begin in 2012, with tests to continue until 2014 or 2015.[1] By October 2012, HAL suits were
in use by 130 different medical institutions across Japan.[2] In February 2013, the HAL system
became the first powered exoskeleton to receive global safety certification.[3] In August 2013, HAL
received EC certification for clinical use in Europe as the world's first non-surgical medical treatment
robot.[4][5] In addition to its medical applications, the HAL exoskeleton has been used in construction
and disaster response work.[6][7]

A man wearing a 2005 prototype version of the

Contents HAL suit (left).
Manufacturer Cyberdyne
1 History Country Japan
2 Design and mechanics
3 Users Year of 1997 (earliest prototype)
4 See also creation 2012 (full HAL-5 suit)
5 References Type Powered exoskeleton
6 External links
Purpose Medical / search and rescue
Website cyberdyne.jp (http://www.cyberdyn
History e.jp/english/index.html)

The first HAL prototype was proposed by Yoshiyuki Sankai, a professor at Tsukuba University. Fascinated with robots since he was in the third grade,
Sankai had striven to make a robotic suit in order “to support humans.”[8] In 1989, after receiving his Ph.D. in robotics, he began the development of
HAL. Sankai spent three years, from 1990 to 1993, mapping out the neurons that govern leg movement. It took him and his team an additional four
years to make a prototype of the hardware.[9]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAL_(robot) 1/4
9/8/2017 HAL (robot) - Wikipedia

The third HAL prototype, developed in the early 2000s, was attached to a computer. Its battery alone weighed nearly 22 kilograms (49 lb) and required
two helpers to put on, making it very impractical. By contrast, later HAL-5 model weighs only 10 kilograms (22 lb) and has its battery and control
computer strapped around the waist of the wearer.

Cyberdyne began renting the HAL suit out for medical purposes in 2008. By October 2012, over 300 HAL suits were in use by 130 medical facilities
and nursing homes across Japan. The suit is available for institutional rental, in Japan only, for a monthly fee of US$2,000.[2] In December 2012,
Cyberdyne was certified ISO 13485 – an international quality standard for design and manufacture of medical devices – by Underwriters
Laboratories.[10] In late February 2013, the HAL suit received a global safety certificate, becoming the first powered exoskeleton to do so.[3] In August
2013, the suit received an EC certificate, permitting its use for medical purposes in Europe as the first medical treatment robot of its kind.[4][5]

Design and mechanics

When a person attempts to move their body, nerve signals are sent from the brain to the muscles through the motor neurons, moving the musculoskeletal
system. When this happens, small biosignals can be detected on the surface of the skin. The HAL suit registers these signals through a sensor attached to
the skin of the wearer. Based on the signals obtained, the power unit moves the joint to support and amplify the wearer's motion. The HAL suit possesses
a cybernic control system consisting of both a user-activated “voluntary control system" known as Cybernic Voluntary Control (CVC) and a “robotic
autonomous control system" known as Cybernic Autonomous Control (CAC) for automatic motion support.[11][12][13]

Users
HAL is designed to assist the disabled and elderly in their daily tasks, but can also be used to support workers with physically demanding jobs such as
disaster rescue or construction. HAL is mainly used by disabled patients in hospitals, and can be modified so that patients can use it for longer-term
rehabilitation. In addition, scientific studies have shown that, in combination with specially-created therapeutic games, powered exoskeletons like the
HAL-5 can stimulate cognitive activities and help disabled children walk while playing.[14][15] Further scientific studies have shown that HAL Therapy
can be effectively used for rehabilitation after spinal cord injury or stroke.[16]

During the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, it was announced that the United States government had expressed interest in purchasing HAL suits.[17]
In March 2011, Cyberdyne presented a legs-only HAL version for the disabled, health care professionals and factory workers.[18] In November 2011,
HAL was selected to be used for cleanup work at the site of the Fukushima nuclear accident.[19] During the Japan Robot Week exhibition in Tokyo in
October 2012, a redesigned version of HAL was presented, designed specifically for the Fukushima cleanup.[7] In March 2013, ten Japanese hospitals
conducted clinical tests of the newer legs-only HAL system.[20] In late 2014, HAL exoskeletons modified for construction use entered service with the
Japanese construction contractor Obayashi Corporation.[6]

See also
Atlas (robot), a humanoid robot designed for search and rescue
Ekso Bionics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAL_(robot) 2/4
9/8/2017 HAL (robot) - Wikipedia
ReWalk
Vanderbilt exoskeleton
References
1. "Robot suit offers glimmer of hope to the paralysed" (http://www.ti
mesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110311/business/robot-suit-offers-g
limmer-of-hope-to-the-paralysed). Times of Malta. 11 March 2011.
Retrieved 26 August 2012.
2. "Robots to the rescue as an aging Japan looks for help" (http://www.
theaustralian.com.au/news/world/robots-to-the-rescue-as-an-aging-ja
pan-looks-for-help/story-e6frg6so-1226494698495). The Australian.
13 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
3. "Japan robot suit gets global safety certificate" (https://www.google.
com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gOWaBQ0XAy5M5crIrhO2uy
TSyvEA?docId=CNG.722c21ce71c2b2203f35cd3432c15546.631).
AFP via Google. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
4. "TÜV Rheinland Issues EC certificate for Cyberdyne’s Medical
Robot Suit HAL®" (http://www.tuv.com/jp/japan/about_us_jp/press
_2/news_1/news_contentjp_en_168321.html). TÜV Rheinland. 7
August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
5. "Global Companies from Japan" (http://www.japanpolicyforum.jp/e
n/archives/economy/pt20131125174131.html). Weekly Toyo Keizai.
14 September 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
6. "Smart walkers lead the way for Japanese elder-care robots" (http://
www.itworld.com/article/2835074/robotics/smart-walkers-lead-the-
way-for-japanese-eldercare-robots.html). ITWorld.com. 16 October
2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
7. "New HAL Exoskeleton: Brain-Controlled Full Body Suit to Be
Used In Fukushima Cleanup" (http://neurogadget.com/2012/10/18/n
ew-hal-exoskeleton-brain-controlled-full-body-suit-to-be-used-in-fu
kushima-cleanup/5612). Neurogadget.com. 18 October 2012.
Retrieved 22 October 2012.
8. "Cyberdyne power suit" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy7ipD
AyXtI). YouTube. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
9. "HAL, a friend for people with disabilities" (http://web-japan.org/ni
pponia/nipponia38/en/feature/feature02.html). Nipponia. Web Japan.
15 September 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAL_(robot)
10. "The design, manufacture and servicing of wearable lower limb
exoskeleton devices for rehabilitation and physical training" (http://d
atabase.ul.com/certs/PDWS.A18103.pdf) (pdf). Underwriters
Laboratories. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
11. "Intention-based walking support for paraplegia patients with Robot
Suit HAL" (http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1163/156855307
781746061#.Uybvcl46xfY). Advanced Robotics. 2007, vol. 21,
pp1441-1469. Taylor & Francis. 2007.
doi:10.1163/156855307781746061 (https://doi.org/10.1163%2F156
855307781746061). Retrieved 17 March 2014.
12. "Pilot study of locomotion improvement using hybrid assistive limb
in chronic stroke patients" (http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-237
7/13/141). BMC Neurology. 2013, vol. 13, p141. BMC. 2013.
Retrieved 17 March 2014.
13. "Research Program Cybernics University of Tsukuba" (http://cybern
ics.tsukuba.ac.jp/english/research/index.html). Global COE
Program, Cybernics. University of Tsukuba. 1 April 2007. Retrieved
17 March 2014.
14. "Computers for the Development of Young Disabled Children –
Introduction to the Special Thematic Session" (http://dl.acm.org/citat
ion.cfm?id=646269.684335). ACM.org. 2002. Retrieved
26 November 2012.
15. "Influence of Virtual Reality Soccer Game on Walking Performance
in Robotic Assisted Gait Training for Children" (http://www.abledat
a.com/abledata.cfm?pageid=160377&ksectionid=160164&atlitid=1
98393). AbleData.com. April 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
16. "Current scientific studies to exoskeleton therapy with Hybrid
Assistive Limb" (http://walk-again.com/research/). WALK AGAIN
Center. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
17. "CES Spotlight: Japanese Robot Exoskeletons" (http://mylifescoop.c
om/2011/01/12/ces-spotlight-japanese-robot-exoskeletons/). 12
January 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
3/4
9/8/2017 HAL (robot) - Wikipedia

18. "Cyberdyne demos lower-body HAL exoskeleton for helping the
disabled, not eradicating mankind (video)" (https://www.engadget.co
m/2011/03/15/cyberdyne-demos-lower-body-hal-exoskeleton-for-hel
ping-the-disab/). 15 March 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
19. "Robotic Exoskeletons from Cyberdyne Could Help Workers Clean
Up Fukushima Nuclear Mess" (http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/o
bservations/2011/11/09/robotic-exoskeletons-from-cyberdyne-could-
help-workers-clean-up-fukushima-nuclear-mess/). Scientific
American. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
20. "Hospitals to test robot suit to help patients walk" (http://ajw.asahi.c
om/article/economy/technology/AJ201302090058). The Asahi
Shimbun. 9 February 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.

External links
Official website (http://www.cyberdyne.jp/english/index.html) (in English) (in Japanese)
"The Rise of the Body Bots" (http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct05/1901). IEEE Spectrum. October 2005. Retrieved 18 February 2013.
WALK AGAIN Center (http://walk-again.com/) — HAL Training Center

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=HAL_(robot)&oldid=798306069"

This page was last edited on 1 September 2017, at 03:59.

Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAL_(robot) 4/4