Cyberdyne's therapeutic cyborg legs arrive in the US
While we're still a ways away from a proper Aliens -esque Power Loader, our enhanced exo-suit future is already upon us. The HAL (that's Hybrid Assistive Limb, not the murderous space AI) from medical device manufacturer, Cyberdyne Inc., has already been leveraged for a number of rehabilitative procedures since being released in Japan in 2011. Cyberdyne announced on Friday that it has teamed with the newly opened Brooks Cybernic Treatment Center of Jacksonville, Florida to make HALs available here in the US. The HAL is designed to fit around a spinal injury patient's legs and abdomen, providing support for people who would otherwise be unable to stand or walk. But unlike other exo-suits, patients command the HAL with their minds. Instead of a joystick or other manual controller, the HAL uses an EEG-like sensor to pick up nerve signals from the patient's brain through their skin which it then translates into a command to engage the suit's legs. What's more, t...