Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has been working on the development of a power
assist suit (PAS) in an attempt to reduce the manpower and working hours required for heavy
work. The key to this development is a technology to control power exceeding that of a human
being's without impeding the wearer's dexterity. So far, MHI succeeded in developing a pair of
robotic lower limbs enabling the wearer to walk 3.9km/h while carrying over 80kg. In the
Promotion of Market Implementation by Applying Robotics (MARC)(1) launched by the New Energy
and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in September 2016, MHI has
proceeded with the practical use of PAS by applying a pair of robotic lower limbs in combination
with a set of robotic upper limbs developed according to the types of work required and by
examining the effects.
