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Robot tail developed to balance out human body and stop people from falling over
The strap-on appendage, known as Arque, has been developed by researchers at Keio University in Japan.
[...] The tail can be be adjusted to fit whoever is wearing it by adding or removing modular "vertebrae", the Fast Company reports .
Small weights can also be inserted inside each vertebrae to help offset the wearer's weight.
[...] Artificial muscles inside the robotic tail control its movement by contracting and expanding using an external pressurised air system that resembles a lawn mower or giant vacuum.
Because the prototype tail has to remain tethered to this system, the wearer is not able to move very far using it.
[...] The tail was presented last week at the 2019 SIGGRAPH conference in Los Angeles , which focuses on graphics, gaming, and emerging technology.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 07 2019, @02:43PM (4 children)
So do I get to wag my tail if I'm happy? Put it under my legs if I'm scared? Stick it up in the air if I'm upset? Is there going to be a whole bunch of tail gesture analysts explaining what each tail gesture means as we see with dogs and cats and with human facial expression analysts on T.V.?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 07 2019, @03:25PM
Minimum 3 standards, Canid, Felid, Marsupial.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 07 2019, @06:34PM (2 children)
Sure, why not. It'll go with those cat ears you can get at anime conventions that claim to react to the wearer's "mood." Works about as well as you'd expect for a furry mood ring.
(Score: 2) by Kell on Thursday August 08 2019, @12:03AM (1 child)
Wouldn't a furry's mood ring be jammed on "horny"?
Scientists ask questions. Engineers solve problems.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Thursday August 08 2019, @03:52AM
Only during mating season, one would think.