Two researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created a prototype for robotic limbs that assist workers in building airplanes. They also have the bonus effect of making the wearer look like Doctor Octopus from Spider-Man.
Federico Parietti, a Ph.D. candidate, and Harry Asada, an engineering professor, both work at MIT's d'Arbeloff Laboratory for Information Systems and Technology. The team presented their robot concept at this year's International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Hong Kong on June 2, and the project has been getting major buzz ever since.
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The goal of the limbs is to physically support workers and to get projects done more quickly. The movements are controlled by motor-powered joints that can move along with the user's actual arms and legs. Previous extremities were created to replace missing limbs, whereas these are intended to supplement existing ones.
The limbs sit at the user's waist and are attached by straps that hook over the shoulders like a backpack. They are intended to be used as either arms or legs, according to a summary on the lab's website.
While science is still a long way off to inventing arms that can move using the mind -- just like Doc Ock's do -- the creation is a step forward in robotic technology.
Below is a video shown at the conference demonstrating how the limbs work.