Japanese researchers create mechanical arms to “unlock creativity.” How would society change if cyborg body parts like roadside rental bicycles were publicly available? Masahiko Inami’s University of Tokyo team created wearable robotic arms to discover.
Inami’s team is developing “jizai” technologies, which he argues mean autonomy and freedom.
The goal is to create a relationship “lying somewhere between a human and a tool, like how a musical instrument can become as if a part of your body.”
Inami was inspired by traditional Japanese puppetry and Yasunari Kawabata’s quasi-horror short story about a man who borrows a young woman’s arm and sleeps with it.
“This is not a threat to humans, but rather a tool like a bicycle or e-bike. “It helps and inspires,” Inami remarked.
Two ballet dancers perform with robotic arms emerging from their backs and torsos in a “Jizai Arms” advertising video. Cyborg-armed dancers embrace.
Inami claimed some users become connected to the arms. “Removing them after using them is heartbreaking. “They’re different from other tools there,” he remarked.
He said that the potential extends to search-and-rescue efforts. “We might see wings growing out of people’s backs or drones linked to individuals… “Maybe someone will invent a six-armed sport or a new type of swimming,” Inami remarked.
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