Engineers design a robotic tail for people to assist with balance and movement

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Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2019/08/08/engineers-design-a-robotic-tai.html

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T-Rex or gtfo

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This is probably a group furs just trying to get university funding.

Also speaking as a furry:

21374746849

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The wife of a sailor friend mine has no balance on a boat and this might save their marriage!

(They are fine.)

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I have a tail, but it’s on the front of my body.

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It comes in grey tabby, right?

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Me too!
And when it moves people say I’m unbalanced. :thinking:

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To be fair, though, some people might want slinky thin cat-tails.

Commenting for a friend. :wink:

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Wouldn’t it be in the way when you bend over?

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Just to flick the end across their friend’s faces… :wink:

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com-optimize%20(49)

Doc Ock origin story incoming?

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I have a buddy who has a digitgrade fursuit (uses short stilts) and he says this tail would help a lot with balance walking backwards etc.

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Is it Japan? Of course it’s Japan.

And so very awesome.

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I knew that already from your avatar’s pronounced moustache. :slight_smile:

BTW: Re the article, this is an extremely interesting line of research – no doubt! – but to be effective, the ‘tail’ would have to have some beneficial weight (and some particular distribution of said weight), so wouldn’t the use of a ‘tail’ be limited in its application to people who have problems walking, bending over, etc? We’re talking about additional weight to lug around. I’m wondering if, to some extent, its range of use can be achieved by the ‘tail’ have some variable weight distribution capability (passive or active). This kind of research could lead that way, I think.

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Mmmmmmmayyyyybe.

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That would be the biggest unadvertised selling point.

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Not really the same thing, but reminded me of this enhancement:
dalek%20bumps

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Just to, ummm, recap…and, please, help me out here…

So, we’ve evolved over X-million years to jettison our reptilian backbones only to find that, through the magic of modern technology, we might need this?!!

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Look, they’re etheric beam locators and are useful for detecting ion-charged emissions.

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