When as a child (I also admit it as an adult) I happened to enter a room without closing the door, they must have told me a thousand times: "do you happen to have a tail"? Now, given that I think it means "do you happen to have a crowd of people following you?" and therefore it has nothing to do with the subject of the post, I just wanted to show you my first reaction to the news.
Why let's face it: who among us would not want to have a robotic tail able to improve our balance and agility? Come on.
This is why researchers at Keio University in Japan (part of me would have bet, and won, on the nation of the study) have created this device.
Arque, this is the name of the prototype, was shown two days ago at the annual SIGGRAPH conference in Los Angeles. Inspiration does not come from the tails of cats or dogs, but from that of horses.
The robotic appendage is made up of several interconnected plastic "vertebrae" and can be configured based on the weight and height of the wearer by adding or removing segments or weights.
In the researchers' intentions, Arque's aim is to balance those who want to move quickly, carry heavy objects, or do both together.
The strong point of the robotic tail is its four artificial muscles, which contract or release through an internal compressed air system. The fact that an external compressor is needed is not misleading: progress in the field of actuators and artificial muscles will lead to productions powered by a simple battery.
How useful will it be?
A portable version of Arque could have many applications. It will be able to assist the work on the construction site by allowing the workers to lift and carry weights without risk to their balance (but will have ruthless competition from exoskeletons).
It will also be used to help people with balance problems (can you imagine old men with tails?).
I imagine its use for more "playful" reasons, perhaps in virtual reality environments as an offshoot to be used to manage a game without using your hands.
