We see interesting exoskeletal mechanisms here on CrunchGear every once in a while, though most of them are pretty specific in their applications. The x-Ar from Equipois is no different: it’s not for making you into a superhuman, but just making people whose work involves constant extension of the arm and heavy lifting be a little less fatiguing.
I mean, think about it: your arm weighs quite a bit, though it’s not something you notice until you have to keep it extended for more than a couple minutes. Imagine if your job involved having your arms out with heavy tools in them for most of the day. My hands get tired just sitting there. The x-Ar is intended to make your arm and whatever you’re carrying feel like they have zero weight. It attaches to your wrist via a cuff and by using technology inspired by steadicams, lets you move freely while still supporting lots of weight.
Equipois’ previous robo-arm let you mount a heavy tool to the end, so this would be more for tasks where the delicacy of a human hand is still required. Sounds good to me. Now if only they’d release one that types for me.
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