I know what you’re thinking. This giant exoskeleton must be something straight out of anime. No, my friends, this is real-life.
Power Jacket MK3 is a new robotic exoskeleton developed by Sagawa Electronics. The seven-foot, four-inch tall frame is made from a combination of aluminum and carbon fiber, which keep its total weight to just 25 kilograms (55 pounds).
While the exoskeleton frame is lightweight, the suit comes equipped with 14 servomotors, which allows its arms to lift up to 15 kilograms (33 pounds). When it’s not delivering pile-driving power, the robot’s hands are also gentle enough to pick up an uncooked egg without crushing it.
The operator straps in and steps onto a set of stilts. Controlling the suit, meanwhile, involves a master-slave system that converts the motion of your arms and legs to drive the movement of the suit’s corresponding limbs. Pacific Rim, anyone?
As we’ve seen with the Kuratas and a six-foot-tall robot for kids, the Power Jacket MK3 comes with a hefty $123,000 price tag. Sagawa Electronics also says it only plans to produce five of these mechanical beauties. But if you’re not one of the lucky and very rich few to nab this exoskeleton, you’ll be able to check it out at Wonder Festival 2013 in Japan later this month.
[Sagawa Electronics via Gizmodo]