Robotic helping hand for disabled

Tokyo: A Japanese company is developing a robotic suit that could help people with diseases such as muscular dystrophy move their limbs again, local media reported.

Cyberdyne Inc's new lab in Tsukuba, Ibaraki prefecture, plans to produce 400-500 such suits each year starting from October, targeting consumers as well as clinics, Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday.

Sensors in the suit pick up weak brain signals that ripple through the surface of the wearer's skin to their muscles. The sensors then activate the suit's arms and legs, which are attached to the wearer's limbs, Kyodo said.

Known as HAL, or hybrid assistive limb, the suit can also be used to assist workers performing heavy manual work and comes with a rechargeable 100-volt battery pack that powers the suit for about two hours and 40 minutes, the agency added.

Monthly rental fees for the suit will probably be around 200,000 yen ($1,968) or less for health organisations and 100,000 yen or less for individual customers.