"HAL" has two control systems which work closely together.
Cybernic Voluntary Control( Bio-Cybernic Control System)
When a person attempts to walk, for instance, the brain sends electrical impulses to muscles. when they arrive at muscles, faint bio-electrical signals appear on skin surfaces. "HAL"'s system works as described below.
- the bio-electrical sensors attached to the skin read the signals
- the computer immediately analyzes how much power the wearer intends to generate
- calculates the adequate amount of power assist and command power units
- power units generate torque and put limbs into action.
These process is completed a fraction of a second earlier than the muscles actually move.
Robotic Autonomous Control System
A human motion ( for example standing up from a chair ) can be recognized as an aggregate of several elemental movements.
It looks as if a sentence consists of several words. "HAL" has the data base where such movements are stored and linked to a certain motion as a dictionary lists words.
Using the data base( which is also automatically updated by the informations that sensors collect from the body) "HAL" autonomously coordinate each motion to be assisted smoothly by power units.
Furthermore, in the case that no good bio-electrical signals are detectable due to some problems in the central nervous system or in the muscles, "HAL" can be of use through the Robotic Autonomous Control.
