Science fiction meets science fact yet again in this robotics project from the University of Tsukuba. The Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL for short) is a very cool looking application of robotic technology. It reminds me of the cargo loaders in “Alien”, or perhaps it’s more “Robocop”. It’s a metal exo-skeleton that straps to a person’s limbs and magnifies the effect of their inputs.

I think they need some better marketing though. The name HAL is synonymous in hollywood with computer malfunctions and to top it off it looks like they’ve started a company called - wait for it - Cyberdyne - to market the product commercially.

Hmmmm…. Now might be a good time to run for the hills!