Matsushita Electric, the parent company of Panasonic, has a new robotic jacket up its sleeve (hah!) for people who have suffered a stroke or nervous system injuries that leave them paralyzed in one arm, or physical therapy patients who are recovering from trauma that's left them learning to re-use one of their limbs. The prototype "power jacket" uses a series of sensors at the joints in the healthy arm or limb to transmit commands to eight artificial muscles in the injured or paralyzed arm that flex and move the injured arm in conjunction with the healthy one. The artificial muscles are inflated and deflated with compressed air, and mimic the motions carried out by the healthy arm by changing the air pressure in different areas of the sleeve worn on the injured side.

Matsushita hopes that the power jacket may eventually become a valuable tool in helping those with paralyzed limbs move them again, and those who are in the situation of having to re-learn motor controls in injured limbs recover more quickly from their injuries. [via CNet]