You're watching a robotic arm attached to a dancer creating a whole new form of expression - and potentially opening doors to things previously considered impossible.

Masahiko Inami, Professor / Tokyo University Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology:

"I want to see new types of performance using the body, new art forms being created. I'd like to stimulate creativity and accelerate its spread throughout society. That's the kind of world I want to create."

Masahiko Inami and his team at a Tokyo University developed this wearable device - that houses up to six arms, a machine that could make its wearer look like a spider, or an octopus.

Currently they're not controlled by the wearer though.

Rather, they move with the remote-controlled motion of a separate operator.

In case you were wondering, the inspiration isn't from a Spider-Man villain though.

It's actually closer to Pinocchio.

"In Japan we have a traditional type of puppet theatre called 'bunraku', where three people manipulate a puppet, so it's quite similar to that type of remote operation."

Inami hopes that beyond art, the arms could have other applications - possibly even disaster search and rescue.

The arms can be changed out too, removed and attached via sockets.

While there's currently only a couple of options, Inami says this feature has all sorts of potential.

"If, in the future, you wish to sprout wings from your back or attach a drone, by changing these attachments, you can acquire a range of abilities. I think that could be a possibility."