Power Pedal Legs Allow Super-Human Strides

When you hear "power suit" your first thought is probably massive shoulder-pads and the kind of lapels you could cut cheese on, but to Japanese company Matsushita Electric it's just the first step in their plan to augment feeble humanity with a robot exoskeleton.

Strapping your lower body in gives you seven-times more strength, with the sensor-laden pedals controlling movement in up to six directions in each step.  Apparently it can even tackle uneven terrain without toppling over and crushing you. 

What's most exciting is that, unlike other prototype exoskeletons we've seen before, Matsushita actually intend the Power Pedal to go on sale.  Come August you'll be able to swap 20 million yen ($167k) for a set of robotic legs, although the longer term goal is to bring that down to just 3.5 million yen ($30k) by 2015 (at which point we'll all be using the Compenion tablet, of course) and making it feasible for the elderly and disabled to wear.

Yomiuri [via Pink Tentacle]