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The Hybrid Assistive Limb (also known as HAL) is a powered, soft-bodied exoskeleton suit developed by Japan's
Tsukuba University is a national research university located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. The university has 28 college clusters and schools with around 16,500 students (as of 2014). The main Tsukuba campus covers an area of 258 hectares (636 acres), making ...
and the robotics company Cyberdyne. It is designed to support and 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. By October 2012, HAL suits were in use by 130 different medical institutions across Japan. In February 2013, the HAL system became the first powered exoskeleton to receive global safety certification. In August 2013, HAL received EC certification for clinical use in Europe as the world's first non-surgical medical treatment robot. In addition to its medical applications, the HAL exoskeleton has been used in construction and disaster response work.


History

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". In 1989, after receiving his PhD in robotics, he began the development of HAL. Sankai spent three years, from 1990 to 1993, mapping out the
neuron A neuron (American English), neurone (British English), or nerve cell, is an membrane potential#Cell excitability, excitable cell (biology), cell that fires electric signals called action potentials across a neural network (biology), neural net ...
s that govern leg movement. It took him and his team an additional four years to make a prototype of the hardware. The third HAL prototype, developed in the early 2000s, was attached to a computer. Its battery alone weighed nearly and required two helpers to put on, making it very impractical. By contrast, later HAL-5 model weighs only 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 home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...
s across Japan. The suit is available for institutional rental, in Japan only, for a monthly fee of US$2,000. In December 2012, Cyberdyne was certified
ISO 13485 ISO 13485 ''Medical devices -- Quality management systems -- Requirements for regulatory purposes'' is a voluntary standard, published by International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for the first time in 1996, and contains a comprehensive ...
– an international quality standard for design and manufacture of medical devices – by
Underwriters Laboratories The UL enterprise is a global private safety company headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, composed of three organizations, UL Research Institutes, UL Standards & Engagement and UL Solutions. Established in 1894, the UL enterprise was founded a ...
. In late February 2013, the HAL suit received a global safety certificate, becoming the first powered exoskeleton to do so. 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.


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 The human musculoskeletal system (also known as the human locomotor system, and previously the activity system) is an organ system that gives humans the ability to move using their Muscular system, muscular and Human skeleton, skeletal systems. ...
. When this happens, small
biosignal A biosignal is any signal in living beings that can be continually measured and monitored. The term biosignal is often used to refer to bioelectrical signals, but it may refer to both electrical and non-electrical signals. The usual understandin ...
s 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. The HAL design is notable for its soft body and frame, with comfort and ease of use cited as potential benefits of this lack of a rigid body.Morris, L., Diteesawat, R.S., Rahman, N. et al. The-state-of-the-art of soft robotics to assist mobility: a review of physiotherapist and patient identified limitations of current lower-limb exoskeletons and the potential soft-robotic solutions. J NeuroEngineering Rehabil 20, 18 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12984-022-01122-3


Users

HAL is designed to assist people who are disabled or 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. Further scientific studies have shown that HAL Therapy can be effectively used for rehabilitation after
spinal cord injury A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. It is a destructive neurological and pathological state that causes major motor, sensory and autonomic dysfunctions. Symptoms of ...
or
stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
. During the 2011
Consumer Electronics Show CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event typi ...
, it was announced that the
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government had expressed interest in purchasing HAL suits. In March 2011, Cyberdyne presented a legs-only HAL version for those with disabilities, health care professionals and factory workers. In November 2011, HAL was selected to be used for cleanup work at the site of the
Fukushima nuclear accident The Fukushima nuclear accident was a major nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan, which began on 11 March 2011. The cause of the accident was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, whic ...
. During the Japan Robot Week exhibition in Tokyo in October 2012, a redesigned version of HAL was presented, designed specifically for the Fukushima cleanup. In March 2013, ten Japanese hospitals conducted clinical tests of the newer legs-only HAL system. In late 2014, HAL exoskeletons modified for construction use entered service with the Japanese construction contractor
Obayashi Corporation is one of five major Japanese construction companies along with Shimizu Corporation, Takenaka Corporation, Kajima Corporation, and Taisei Corporation. It is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and is one of the Nikkei 225 corporations. Its h ...
.


See also

* Atlas (robot), a humanoid robot designed for search and rescue * Ekso Bionics * ReWalk * Vanderbilt exoskeleton


References


External links

* *{{cite web, url=http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct05/1901, title=The Rise of the Body Bots, work=IEEE Spectrum, date=October 2005, access-date=18 February 2013, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504142710/http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct05/1901, archive-date=4 May 2009
WALK AGAIN Center
– HAL Training Center Assistive technology Disability robots Japanese inventions Medical robotics Rehabilitation robots Robotic exoskeletons Robots of Japan 2000s robots 2012 in science 2012 robots