Due to the development of a decreasing and aging of population, there are manpower shortages for hard labor, disaster relief, and nursing. A method to help the aged to move, whose physical capability is weak, is also desired. When using robots to cope with these problems, an autonomous/tele-operated robot is desirable for dangerous hard labor or rescue at a disaster site where humans cannot enter. However, for nursing that needs human judgment and communication, or as mobility support to help a person to move as he/she wishes, a robot to amplify and enhance physical functions is desirable.

 Robot suit HAL （Hybrid Assistive Limb） was developed for the purpose of assisting the motion of lower limbs, such as bipedalism or standing and sitting. Furthermore, the latest HAL-5 can assist upper body motions and has realized the ability to amplify and enhance human body functions by the combined unit of a human being and a machine. HAL is the first successful robot suit in the world that measures how much power its wearer wishes to use by detecting bio-potential signals of muscle on the surface of the skin and transmitting it to the operation system.

 In addition to the "function of voluntary control" that amplifies the power of the wearer as the wearer wishes, HAL has an "autonomous control mechanism" that repeats pre-programmed movements, such as assistance for a standing-up movement, by detecting the preparative movement of standing up from a chair, even for a paralyzed person whose bio-potential signals cannot be measured.

 The operator can move flexibly and can push objects with great power, so that its use for hard labor, disaster relief, medical care and welfare, and entertainment is expected. The development of a system combining human beings and machines together is getting attention as new robot technology.