Users can wear up to six arms with the Jizai Arms system. (Image Credit: Kazuaki Koyama / Jizai Arms)
People wearing a set of robotic arms could handle multiple tasks or wear them as a Spider-Man 2 Dr.Ock impersonation. Or maybe even social interactions. At least, that's the idea. The University of Tokyo scientists developed Jizai Arms, a proof-of-concept wearable equipped with robotic arms.
The setup features a backpack containing six sockets for the robotic arms. Overall, the concept here is to have the wearer control those arms. But otherwise, maybe someone else controls them wirelessly. The team designed the robots for a visually aesthetic presentation and to "harmonize with the human body.
Jizai Arms weigh 31 pounds with four robotic arms attached. (Image Credit: Kazuaki Koyama / Jizai Arms)
"The system was designed to enable social interaction between multiple wearers, such as an exchange of arm(s), and explore possible interactions between digital cyborgs in a cyborg society," the team wrote in the paper.
So, how does it work? Well, for one thing, the arms are probably controlled by a joystick from someone who isn't wearing the arms, or they have pre-programmed moves. That could explain why there's no practical use for them yet. After all, programming movements and controlling prosthetics isn't an easy task. So it may take some more time for Jizai Arms to be practical.
The team wants to continue working on the technology, providing it with more capabilities. (Image Credit: Kazuaki Koyama / Jizai Arms)
However, there's nothing wrong with that either because it shows how much potential this technology could have for everyday use. We can expect the arms to move quicker, learn specific skills, and more in later iterations. Although they haven't reached that point yet, there's still hope. For example, Boston Dynamics' robot had a similar experience. At first, it couldn't walk very well, but now it can do parkour after years of development.
Volunteers wore the robotics arms while physically interacting with each other in role-playing scenarios. They were encouraged to exchange arms in the best way possible. "From our role-playing sessions, we found that our bodies could precisely sense the attachment/detachment of arms, and we especially felt a strong impact when detaching or reducing the number of robotic arms worn," the scientists wrote in the paper. "We also suggested adding customizability to the robotic arms to generate a sense of social ownership, an individual's sense of ownership towards a specific artificial body part shared among multiple persons, as a future research topic."
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