HAL

A man poses in a waist down exoskeleton suit that goes down each leg and connects under the foot.
HAL is currently used to assist people with limited mobility. Photo: Sankai Lab/Cyberdyne/University of Tsukuba

HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) is a powered exoskeleton that can assist in daily activities in a rehabilitative capacity, or magnify the strength of the user by a factor of 10.

Creators

Cyberdyne and University of Tsukuba

Year
2004
Country
Japan 🇯🇵
Categories
Features
How HAL works. Video: Prime Minister's Office of Japan

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Appearance

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Did you know?

HAL intercepts muscle signals and moves your limbs before you have a chance to.

A person on a medical treadmill with rails is attached to a top harness that helps keep them steady in the exoskeleton suit they are wearing. A person stands behind them, watching.
HAL is helping people to get better at walking on their own. Photo: Sankai Lab/Cyberdyne/University of Tsukuba

History

In 2004, Professor Yoshiyuki Sankai, head of the Cybernics Lab at the University of Tsukuba, founded Cyberdyne to commercialize its HAL robotic suit. Over the years, Sankai and his team have improved the exoskeleton performance, expanded the company's product line, and carried out a steady commercialization program, first in Japan and then in Europe. In 2018, Cyberdyne received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin offering its HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) lower-body exoskeleton to users in the United States.

A person in a clean room bunny suit, gloves, dust mask, x-ray shield, lower-body exoskeleton suit stands outside amid rubble.
HAL can help emergency responders. Photo: Sankai Lab/Cyberdyne/University of Tsukuba
A person in a lunge position shows off a full body white exoskeleton with blue circular lights at the joints.
One of the first prototypes was a full-body model. Photo: Sankai Lab/Cyberdyne/University of Tsukuba

Specs

Overview

Equipped with two control systems, one based on bio-electrical signals derived from a person’s brain and nervous system that reflect an intended movement and another based on AI algorithms.

Status

Ongoing

Year

2004

Website
Width
53.8 cm
Height
131.2 cm (max); 107 cm | 42.2 in (min)
Weight
12 kg
Sensors

Ground contact sensors, joint angle sensors, bioelectric sensors.

Actuators

DC motors

Degrees of Freedom (DoF)
2
Power

Lithium-ion battery