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 improved balance


A Wearable Robotic Tail Turns Anyone Into a Furry With Improved Balance

#artificialintelligence

There are lots of companies who make wearable tails for humans, but they're usually for cosplay or other entertainment pursuits. Researchers at Keio University in Japan have created a wearable animated tail that promises to genuinely augment the wearer's capabilities--not just appearance--by improving their balance and agility. I wrote a post about Disney's efforts to market Zootopia to furries last week, and I really pissed… The easiest way to understand what inspired this creation is to watch a video of monkeys effortlessly leaping from tree to tree. Their tails not only serve as an additional limb for grasping branches but also help them reposition their bodies mid-flight for a safe landing by shifting the monkey's center of balance as it moves. The Arque tail, as it's been named, does essentially the same thing for humans, although leaping from the highest branches of a tree isn't recommended just yet.