This robot exoskeleton will let you walk again for $1,500 a month

And the the elderly and disabled will walk again! Thanks to robots of course, specifically a system called “Hybrid Assistive Limb”, shortened to HAL and created by Japanese company Cyberdyne. The powered robot exoskeleton moves in response to nerve signals in a human’s legs. Users only need to “think” and the robot legs will move for them. Think of the legs like an incredibly advanced Segway that is actually sensing your nervous system. The HAL suit is available to hospitals and clinics in Japan to rent for about $1,500 per month.

Exoskeletons such as these are currently being developed in both the United States and Japan to provide mobility to the elderly and disabled and to give soldiers super hero like strength.

Watch IEEE Spectrum tech writer Evan Ackerman become the first person in the United States to test the robotic exoskeleton legs at CES 2011.