A wearable robot is a machine that facilitates telepresence , a sophisticated form of interactive remote control. It allows a human operator to control a humanoid robot , also known as an android.
A wearable robot is designed after the shape and function of the human body. The control unit consists of a suit that the operator wears. This suit, which may be as simple as a headset and gloves or as complex as a medieval suit of armor wired up with electronic devices, makes it possible for the wearer to put the extensions of the suit (that is, the robotic devices) through human-like motions. Sights, sounds, and tactile effects sensed by the robot are imparted to the wearer by means of transducers. The robot may have many times the strength and speed of the person controlling it.
Wearable robots have been used in the military. They have also been used in exploratory scientific missions. Applications include working in conditions of extreme temperature or pressure, working where there are deadly levels of ionizing radiation, disarming mines, planting and setting bombs, and functioning as remotely controlled tanks, SCUBA divers, or infantry.
HAL (Hybrid Assisted Limb) is a wearable exoskeleton robot.
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