Engineers in Tokyo Want to Give You a Tail
go back to the drawing board: to start planning again from the beginning after a first attempt has failed
Our ancient ancestors lost their tails millions of years ago, but in Tokyo, a small team of researchers wants to put one back on. Their robotic wearable tail is called Arque. It is about 28 inches long and weighs around three and a half pounds. It straps to your lower back like a belt.
Many older people fall and hurt themselves every year. The tail is designed to stop that. Sensors watch how your body leans. If you lean left, the tail swings right. If you lean forward, the tail flicks up. The weight pulls you back to center, like a pendulum.
The team did not get the design right on the first try. First, they looked at cat tails and tiger tails. Both were too thin and too light to help so they had to go back to the drawing board. This time, they studied seahorses with tails that are both heavy and strong. They are built to grip and to balance the animal in the water. That was the answer.
Inside the Arque tail artificial muscles are powered by compressed air. Right now, the tail still needs to be connected to a big air pump so you can’t wear it to the grocery store yet. But other research teams in the UK have started building their own versions. One new design helps people stay steady when they lift heavy boxes.
Falls kill more older adults each year than car accidents. A working tail could change that.
Sample sentences
We spent two months on the design, but the manager hated it. Now we have to go back to the drawing board.
The first paint color looked great in the store but awful on the wall. We’re going to go back to the drawing board and try something else.
We thought the new policy would help. After three months, it was actually making things worse, so the city decided to go back to the drawing board.
Read More
Boing Boing — Wearable Tails Help Elderly Folks Keep Their Balance
CNN — Robotic Tail for Humans Was Inspired by Seahorses
New Atlas — Scientists Look to Improve Balance with a Robotic Tail
