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Inventor Demos Soft Pneumatic Exoskeleton, a Good Getaway Suit
Posted by Wilson Rothman at 8:45 AM on May 14, 2008
We caught a quick glimpse of the Soft Pneumatic Exoskeleton before, but here inventor Che-Wei Wang demonstrates it on himself, explaining how the system gives added power to limbs at key moments. He can power it with a mini scuba tank or one of those CO2 cartridge for pellet guns, but the usage is limited by the capacity of gas you can carry. Ideal scenarios he says include hard landings—dudes involved in "parkour" street jumping could use it to avoid ripping up their kneecaps. Wang says future applications include a memory mode, where a famous athlete wears it to capture some signature manoeuvre that some punkass non-athlete can then copy, just by donning the same model exoskeleton and jacking the software. How's that for Johnny Mnemonic meets The Matrix meets Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure? [CWWang.com; ITP 2008]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
sayten
Posted 9:27 AM 14/5/08
can we have a video of one of those caprese salads?
sayten
Brian Sexton
Posted 9:16 AM 14/5/08
@altus: And some people don't think Caprese salad should have balsamic vinegar, but that doesn't stop other people from enjoying it.
Brian Sexton
Accelerata
Posted 9:14 AM 14/5/08
@altus: i would think of this more training aide than a crutch. in sports with extreme impact, its good to have something that helps shield you a bit when you're still trying to learn to do the moves correctly. i can tell you from personal experience that repeatedly trashing your knees trying to learn something is not ideal.
Accelerata
ripfire4
Posted 9:12 AM 14/5/08
@Wilson Rothman: Oh ok. I thought he was afraid of a software bug that might end up kicking some guy in the nuts.
ripfire4
ripfire4
Posted 9:08 AM 14/5/08
@altus: Well how is this different from using hiker's sticky shoes to enhance the jumpers' abilities?
ripfire4
crazy0000
Posted 9:07 AM 14/5/08
Hmm... This video makes me wonder If I could make something that goes "ptsssss" every time I unbent my leg...
Video=Fail.
crazy0000
Atrocious
Posted 9:02 AM 14/5/08
So the chronicaly flatulent (and btw, uncle Merle we need to talk) would be able to go on an unstoppable pneumatic-bionic crime spree?
Atrocious
Wilson Rothman
Posted 9:01 AM 14/5/08
@ripfire4: He's tethered to a compressor, and in a crowded room, so there wasn't a lot of coolness he could pull off at the time.
Wilson Rothman
Rabid Penguin
Posted 9:00 AM 14/5/08
@ripfire4:
I watched it several times thinking maybe I missed something... I didn't :c(
Rabid Penguin
altus
Posted 9:00 AM 14/5/08
ANd the whole idea of Parkours is "no props" and use the urban landscape to create extreme circuits. Kind of like using a Helicopter instead of hand-gliding. It's *not* part of the sport.
altus
ripfire4
Posted 8:56 AM 14/5/08
So here I am watching the video, waiting for the guy to do all these cool moves...
ripfire4
MagnoliaBoy
Posted 10:23 AM 14/5/08
Dude, I can totally remember how to do Kung Fu, uhhh...
...Wyld Stallyns!*does air guitar*
MagnoliaBoy
drewls
Posted 1:46 PM 14/5/08
I have 80 gigs of data in the hollowed out heel of my soft pneumatic exoskeleton. All I need is a spoon to get it out, but there is no spoon. Maybe there's one in this phone booth...
drewls
GadgetPlay
Posted 2:44 PM 14/5/08
Is this thing in any way meant to help people who need it? Like to walk unassisted, or to lift objects with which they ordinarily might injure themselves? Or for first responders to earthquake victims? HA! Just kidding.
GadgetPlay
Gonzie
Posted 4:53 PM 14/5/08
just waiting for the test videos where it all goes horribly wrong
Gonzie
CaptainIndia
Posted 6:56 PM 14/5/08
@sayten: Hah!
CaptainIndia
Brian Sexton
Posted 2:39 PM 15/5/08
@sayten: I don't have a video handy, but I could muster a nice photograph depicting a beyond-traditional Caprese salad with a nice golden balsamic vinegar, thyme, and rosemary garnish.
Brian Sexton
birdseal
Posted 10:11 AM 14/5/08
Hey, I do parkour and if you need to use something like that, then your out of your league. After doing it for aboput a year i can now take 20 foot falls onto concrete, and it does not mess up my knees. you just start small.
birdseal