Hardiman (exoskeleton)
The Hardiman was the first prototype of an artificial exoskeleton from General Electric from 1965. The person wearing the Hardiman should be able to lift loads of up to 680 kg with ease. The project failed because the controlled use of the exoskeleton did not succeed.
Any attempt to use the exoskeleton resulted in uncontrolled movements and it was not possible for the operator to turn in place. Further research then concentrated only on a gripper arm . Even when it lifted 340 kg loads, the gripper arm weighed three quarters of a ton, more than double the load to be carried. As the components of the Hardiman did not work together properly and there was no practical benefit, the project was discontinued.
Today in the USA and Japan research into such artificial exoskeletons for the military (e.g. the Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton ) and for civil applications (e.g. the exoskeleton HAL -5) is being continued.
Web links
- The Hardiman (English)
- General Electric: The Story Behind the Real 'Iron Man' Suit (English)
- General Electric: Documentation "Hardiman 1 Project" (English, PDF ; 1.3 MB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/03/03_exo.shtml The Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton (BLEEX) (Engl.)
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from November 26, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Cyberdyne - Robot Suit HAL (engl.)
