Wired Editor Tries Out a Wearable Set of Four Exoskeletal Robotic Arms and a Third Thumb

Wired editor Amit Katwala traveled to different places around the world to meet with the brilliant people behind robotic limbs. In Japan, Katwala tested out a wearable set of four exoskeletal robotic arms that were created by Dr. Masahiko Inami and his team at The University of Tokyo. Dr. Inami explained that these arms were inspired by traditional Japanese puppetry and even used a wearable puppet master" to control the arms. While Katwala found these arms at first to be a bit difficult to manipulate, he eventually got the hang of using them.

The design of the arms was inspired in part by traditional Japanese puppetry. They're intended to enhance human capabilities, much like an instrument. ...Now this puppet master has sensors to measure joint angle with five potential measures for each arm. These sensors are sensing signal. And so based on this signal, these arms are following this motion perfectly. ...Professor Inami says that the robot arms could one day be used for sport, medicine, or rehabilitation

Katwala then visited Dani Clode of the Plasticity Lab at Cambridge University, where they discussed Clode's ingenious 3-D printed wearable extra thumb before taking a test-drive. Again, it took Katwala a bit of time to synchronize his movements before he could. He also spoke with Professor Tamar Makin, who explained how the brain works to coordinate the movements between natural and robotic limbs.

The hardest thing about using the thumb was learning to control it, but in the future could these robotic limbs be connected directly to your brain via an implanted chip? ...I'm not sure I need extra arms or another thumb just yet, but the idea of a world by becoming superhuman is as easy as strapping on a backpack, I give that three thumbs up.