Robotic Exoskeleton for Japanese Farmers

As indicated in this article, a team at the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology is developing a powered robot suit for use by agricultural workers. From the article:“The new power assist robot suit was specifically designed to multiply the productivity of workers using it, while minimizing the strain on their waist, hips, and arms. The suit includes 8 motors on its rigid ABS resin frame structure and weighs 18 kg (just under 40 pounds), yet carries most of its own weight and places a minimum load on the operator.”They expect the suit to be in use by 2012. This is very cool.