Written on April 23, 2008 – 8:44 am | by Bogdan Alex |
I don’t want to get old, ever! I mean, I don’t want to walk around like some kind of zombie, complaining about my humble condition. I want to be able to do most if not all the activities that I’m able to do now. That includes running or walking, but not like a weirdo hunchback. Luckily, Honda has come up with a solution, so if my muscles atrophy in time, I can still walk in a decent manner with the aid of the Walking Assistant Device.

The assistant is a 6 lb (2.8kg) motorized belt with hip sensors that gauge how much help the wearer will need in order to move around in normal conditions. If the wearer requires any help with the movement, the motorized device then gives him/her an appropriate boost, lengthening his/her stride enough to make walking easier on the legs.

The current prototype phase has reached the point where the supplied lithium-ion battery only last two hours on a charge, so if you are happen to be an old granny, don't go imagining you could use this on a shopping spree; not yet, at least.

Honda cared to disclose that the hip sensors are based on the ones you can see on their Asimo robot. These sensors even have a CPU of their own, so we’re talking about some cyborg stuff here. The WAD needs to be further tested and improved, but there’s still hope for the old guys nonetheless.

[Thanks Techpin.com]