As Japan looks for solutions to the declining age and shrinking workforce problem of its farming industry, researchers at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have developed a robotic suit designed to reduce the heavy burden of harvesting.
A prototype of the suit is basically a wearable assistance machine.
Weighing in at 25kgs (55lbs) the machine is equipped with eight motors and 16 sensors and offers support to leg muscles and joints.
The wearable device is supportive in farming activities such as pulling vegetables from the ground and picking fruit from trees.
"Human robotic technology is being applied to various industries but it has great potential in the agricultural industry, in which people have to bear a heavy burden," the University’s Professor Shigeki Toyama told the French press agency AFP (Agence France-Presse).
"That's especially obvious in Japan, where the industry is rapidly ageing and its population is shrinking," he added.
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Date Published: January 09, 2009
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