Turning humans into 'INSECTS': Robotics experts create pair of shoulder-mounted arms to give us six limbs



Experts at MIT's d'Arbeloff Laboratory have built the extraordinary arms that are intended to be an extension of the wearer's own body

They are lightweight and can be worn on the shoulders or hips to help people lift heavy objects, or free up their own hands for another task



Arms mimic a wearer's movements but could one day anticipate actions to hold doors open for humans with their hands full, for example



They slightly resemble those of Dr Octopus in the film Spider Man 2

From changing a light bulb to cooking dinner, there are numerous times where an extra pair of hands would come in useful.



And now roboticists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created robotic arms that can lift heavy objects and reach things that your own cannot.



The arms may resemble those of Spider Man villain Otto Octavius, or Dr Octopus, but unlike the comic book creations, they are not fused to a person’s body and cannot be controlled by the mind.

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Roboticists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created robotic arms that lift heavy objects, grab things out of the wearer's reach and can be used to hold objects steady (pictured). They weigh around 10lbs (9kg) so they can be strapped onto the shoulders or hips

MIT'S ROBOTIC ARMS The arms can lift heavy objects and extend the reach of humans.

They weigh 10lbs (9kg) so they can be strapped to a person's shoulders or hips.

They can learn from the way a person's body moves and mimic their movements.

One day they could have a mind of their own to anticipate the wearer's needs.

The arms are designed to streamline tasks, give humans an extra pair of hands and become an extension of their own body.

The extra limbs weigh around 10lbs (9kg) so they can be strapped onto the shoulders or hips, but can still lift heavy objects like a human’s. There were built at MIT's d'Arbeloff Laboratory.



While they may not use mind control, they can learn from the way a person’s body moves, Gizmodo reported.



They are shown to mimic a person’s movements in a video demonstration, but could one day have a mind of their own so they could come to a wearer’s aid if they needed an extra hand.



Arms for evil! MIT's robotic arms may resemble those of Spider Man villain Otto Octavius, or Dr Octopus (pictured) but unlike the comic book creations, they are not fused to a person's body and cannot be controlled by the mind

Accessory of the future? The extra limbs (illustrated) weigh around 10lbs so they can be strapped onto the shoulders or hips, but can still lift heavy objects like a human's

Currently the prototype arms could be used to open a door, leaving a wearer’s hands free to carry shopping bags, for example, but in the future they could open the door for the struggling wearer in advance.



It is thought that the arms could eventually learn routines, such as opening doors or helping handymen hold tools or panels while they compete a delicate task.



'The extra limbs will help them hold objects, support the human body, share a workload and streamline the execution of a task,' the experts said.

'If the movements of such supernumerary limbs are tightly coupled and coordinated with their arms, the human users may come to perceive the extra limbs as an extension of their own body.

At the moment, MIT's prototype arms could be used to open a door, leaving a human wearer's hands free to carry shopping bags, for example. But in the future they could open the door for the struggling wearer in advance (illustrated)

The future? The arms could eventually learn routines, such as opening doors for shoppers, acting as stabilisers (pictured left) or helping handymen perform tasks (pictured right) such as opening and holding panels or tools so the dexterous human can do their job more effectively



'The overarching goal of this project is to study a new type of co-robots that is perceived to be an extension of the human body, working closely with the wearer.'



The arms are different to others developed, such as the University of Pennsylvania’s Titan arm, as they can move independently of a human’s.



The Titan arm could help its wearer carry an additional 40 pounds (18 kg) which is around the weight of a four-year-old child and make it feel easy as lifting a cup of tea. But it cannot deviate from a human’s own arm to anticipate their actions.



MIT’s arms stop short of being a full exoskeleton, which can give humans super-human strength, but they could probably be used in the nearer future and be cheaper than full body suits.

Natural? 'The overarching goal of this project is to study a new type of co-robots that is perceived to be an extension of the human body, working closely with the wearer,' the arms' creators said. They are used as a stabilising device in this illustration