AR Walker brings augmented reality to glasses

Augmented reality may still be seen as limited to smartphones but Japanese phone company DoCoMo has been doing a little experimenting with the technology and has found a way to port it into everyday glasses.

Although DoCoMo showed off a number of interesting things at CEATEC 2011, the AR Walker was not on the show floor. TechRadar had to go to the company's offices in Japan to get a demo of the kit that is still very much in concept stage.

The idea is clear, though: out the AR glasses on and you will be given visual hints and tips about the area around you.

For instance, there is a mapping system that will guide you by overlaying arrows over your peripheral vision. And, like numerous AR apps found on the Android Market, if you look at a restaurant, information about that restaurant will appear.

It's not the glasses that offer this technology, but a little gyroscopic sensor that clips on to any head-mounted display. Although we had to hold this in place in the demo we were given, the sensor was clipped to a pair of glasses, and was so small that it didn't obstruct vision.

There's definitely some niggles with the technology. For a start, it took a long time for our eyes to adjust to the tiny screen that feeds you information. We found ourselves closing one eye when using it as well, as the sensor only goes over one eye.

But, the premise is great. We went through a virtual walking tour and prompts told us where to look and it did work, even if your brain is confused throughout the whole process.

What we would like to see is an app like Layar take advantage of this future technology. Having augmented reality on your phone is fine, but you still have hold up your handset to get the information.

If this was piped straight to a pair of glasses you were wearing instead, then the opportunities for the tech are endless.

HAL robot walker shown off at CEATEC 2011

CEATEC has always been renowned for its showcasing of new products in the field of robotics and this year was of no exception, with Intel and the CEO of Japanese company Cyberdyne showing off the HAL robot walker and revealing how it will change the world of medicine, gaming and exercise.

TechRadar was in Japan to see the demo of HAL where we were told how it works. It essentially links up to the signals the human body gives off and enhances everyday human functions, like walking.

On stage we were shown the machine in action and it's impressive, if a little scary. It is all run by a computer strapped to the back of the Walker which, unsurprisingly, has Intel inside.

Yoshiyuki Sankai, CEO of Cyberdyne, came on stage and said about the HAL walker: "This is the first robot suit in the world called HAL – using the human signals it is possible to operate robots.

"It amplifies or enhances humans – you can link the suit to the internet and it can be used with games machines.

"Hal not only uses robotic technology but neuro-science, sociology and biology."

While gaming may sound like the thing that would make the robot suit awesome – imagine it linking up with Kinect – it also works in the medical world.

"Advanced technologies [within HAL] can be used for sensing vital signs for health management," said Sankai.

"It uses neuro nerve technology and monitors human health – you can look at the density of blood in the brain and body [from the system].

"In There is a route that connects the brain and the body and we tap into this with HAL."

TechRadar was shown a case study of HAL working in the medical industry and how it helped rehabilitate a patient, just a day after brain surgery.

"After brain surgery a day later, HAL was used to rehabilitate, within five days walking training could be carried out and then within two months, massive leg movement was possible," explained Sankai.

Cyberdyne isn't a company that is limited to Japan, Sankai explained that there are now offices in Germany and in Sweden, so we may well see the HAL robot walker in Europe at some point.

That's if we want to see it. The combination of the words HAL and Cyberdyne fill TechRadar with absolute fear but, as it looks like it has come from mind of Wallace And Gromit, we're more at ease for the tech to reach the UK.

In pictures: HAL robot walker

One of the highlights so far at CEATEC 2011 has been the HAL robot walker. Made using Intel tech – and unsurprisingly shown off at the Intel press conference – the robot walker has been created by Cyberdyne, a Japanese company whose CEO is professor Yoshiyuki Sankai.

The HAL robot walker has many uses, with Sankai explaining to the CEATEC crowd – TechRadar was in attendance – that using it has medical benefits, helping people recover from brain damage.

This is because the technology 'plugs' into humans, by linking up with your nerve and reflexes and tapping into what connects the brain and the body.

The demo TechRadar was shown was of a woman walking with HAL but we were also shown what happens when you wrap a sensor cord form the device around an arm.

Once this was done, the demo lady managed to control the leg with arm movement – showing off the possibility of using this technology to help people with disabilities.

Sankai also hinted that the HAL robot walker could be used for gaming and that it can also be hooked up to the internet – which means there is a lot of scope for the technology in the future.

Sankai is calling the technology as 'first of its kind' and even provided some brilliant animations on how the walker could enhance someone's life.

In the graphic, you can see an old man using the walker to get around and HAL, at one point, is helping him to eat – hinting that there could be a full body suit in the offing.

You always get robot technology at CEATEC but for a big company like Intel to show it off is impressive - though it has to be said that Intel is merely providing the chips, with Cyberdyne doing the rest of the work.

As an Intel spokesperson said in the keynote:"It is necessary to have a consideration for others in technological advancement; we need to create technologies that serve people and bring happiness."

While we may never see HAL in the UK, it is great to see something that's straight out of a science fiction film come to life on stage.

We just hope it doesn't take its name too seriously and become sentient.