Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania's mechanical engineering department have built a robotic arm that can help its wearer lift an additional 18 kilograms.
The Titan Arm looks like it came out of a science fiction movie, but its creators say it's designed for ordinary people who need extra muscle strength for their work or for physical rehabilitation.
In technical terms, the device is a tethered exoskeleton for the arm. In layman's terms, it's essentially an arm support that connects to a battery pack in a backpack.
The project builds on existing body-worn equipment studies. “Several research companies have built exoskeletons that help paralyzed people, although current models haven’t been approved for retail and can cost anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000,” according to the Huffington Post.
The final product you'll see in the video below costs less than $2,000.
