Robotics

The Kid's Walker: 1.6 metre bi-pedal exoskeleton for children

The Kid's Walker: 1.6 metre bi-pedal exoskeleton for children
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Six years back we covered the amazing 3.4 meter bi-pedal exoskeleton from Japan known as the Landwalker. Imagine our surprise when we found that its producer, machinery and robotics manufacturer Sakakibara-Kikai, has developed a smaller exoskeleton called the Kid's Walker. It didn't get that name because of its diminutive size either – the Kid's Walker is a functioning bi-pedal exoskeleton designed to be piloted by children!

A representative with the company said that the smaller exoskeleton was developed in response to so many children requesting rides in the much larger Land Walker. Thinking that would be just a little too dangerous for children to pilot, the company set out to build the Kid's Walker.

Sakakibara-Kikai was careful to implement appropriate safety features, with the hand grip controls outfitted with a safety that limits the movement to an acceptable level. The Kid's Walker doesn't really walk either, but rather it shuffles along in a very stable sort of step/roll motion should be fine for children to handle. The video below will give you a better idea of how it moves.

Powered by gasoline, this particular robot suit is almost half the height as its predecessor, measuring in at 1.6 meters tall and weighs 180 kilos. While the production costs of Kid's Walker have been kept confidential, the manufacturer tells us they think the unit would cost about 1,800,000 yen (over US$21,000) if it were to sell in Japan.

For now both the Land Walker and the Kid's Walker are being kept out of battle action, and are being used for amusement purposes only as the company has some rental services available. I have my suspicions though that Sakakibara-Kikai is merely waiting for a youngster worthy of piloting this mini-mecha wonder.

If only I were 20 years younger...

A short video of the exoskeleton in action can be found at Sakakibara-Kikai.

9 comments
9 comments
Mr Stiffy
I hate \"lame-ified\" tech gear - \"Oh Oh OH gotta make it SAFE for the kiddies\".
Yeah sure - after watching the (CGI) gun mech suits in \"The Matrix Reloaded\" (Yeah oh the truly cool battle gear), to hop into this crap that is left for dead by the grand parents in walking frames, and can barely scratch it\'s own arse...
\"OH wow (oh stupid parent folks) - this is just soooooo cool...... (NOT).\"
(strip, gut, big fast engine, fast high pressure hydraulic pumps, actuators, servos etc, reinforced and or rebuilt frame)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz7fL433D4s&feature=related
1physicist
Mr. Stiffy, no, this technology cannot quite match the fantasy technology used in action movies like Matrix, to expect as much is naive, but it has to start somewhere. I wonder, what have you invented that is superior to this, or can assist crippled children in moving about in a fun manner, not just wheel chairs. I think you are looking outward for stupid, you should, perhaps, look inward. It should not be buried too deep...
Facebook User
That is just a bad idea. I don\'t want kids with exo\'s. Think about the temper tantrum in Wal-Mart. How many dead?
James Dugan
Yeah, gotta start somewhere.
Sorry Mister Stiffy, but the rainstorm is TOTALLY unwarranted. It\'s a toy - one that most kids would probably enjoy. Gotta agree that kids with mobility problems would LOVE this.
I don\'t expect you\'d see one for sale in Walmart - and that there would be safeties in place to prevent a \'rampage\'....1.6 meters? It\'s only a little better than 5 foot tall, I expect that it\'s not REAL fast, either...
Facebook User
Neither one is a walker. Both feet always are on the ground, thus they\'re shufflers.
Mr Stiffy
@1physicist & James Dugan
Stupid kids get raised by stupid parents.
Risso
Mr Stiffy, I think you should reserve your rants for YouTube comments. You will be quite at home among the illiterate anonymous who post there. Also, your comments about kids and the elderly are unacceptable. Maybe society would be a better place if the likes of you refrain from procreation.
Joel Bergeron
\"Gotta start somewhere\" is right. Judging by promotional videos for the military equivalent this is essentially where warfare is headed to. It really is a shame that we can take such incredible machines and potentially turn them into detrimental things like implements of murder.
MSG, US Army (Retired)
Risso,
I agree with Mr Stiffy, \"Stupid kids get raised by stupid parents.\"
.....and then they make up stupid display names like \"Mr Stiffy\".....
As far as the Kid\'s Walker, I can\'t afford to get it for my Grandkids, but if I did have the bucks, I would make sure it\'s safe. I love them little monsters! And yes, I do let them ride dirt bikes, go-carts, and I have a jumping ramp in my yard. They wear helmets and such, just like I do when I ride my motorcycle, and I waer my safety harness while working on a second story roof, safety glasses when firing my weapons, and lock my guns up around the kids. \"I ain\'t a stupid, you a stupid.\" Safety first, fun always.