Cyberdyne Inc.

Cyberdyne is a Japanese robotics and technology company most noted for the marketing and distribution of the HAL robotic exoskeleton suit.[1]

History

Cyberdyne was founded on June 24, 2004, by Yoshiyuki Sankai, a professor at the University of Tsukuba,[2] as a venture company to develop his ideas for an exoskeleton suit.

The name is the same as a fictional company from the Terminator film series, which also produces robots. The name, however, is not necessarily a reference, but from the new academic fields of "Cybernetics",[3] and the suffix "-dyne", referring to power.[4] That being said, during an interview between Sankai and McG, director of Terminator Salvation, Sankai admits that he likes the Terminator franchise as well as 2001: A Space Odyssey.[5]

In early 2009, Cyberdyne attracted international media attention with the announcement that it would be marketing and distributing the HAL 5 (Hybrid Assistive Limb) powered exoskeleton,[6] which they claim augments body movement and increases user strength by up to ten times.[7] As of February 2013, Cyberdyne has leased 330 HAL suits to 150 facilities across Japan, and HAL has been given a global safety certification that should allow it to be distributed outside Japan.[8]

In 2017 March, Abdul Latif Jameel of Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Cyberdyne Inc. in order to assist the victims of traumatic spinal injuries in Saudi Arabia.[9][10]

See also

External links