Bionic Man Becomes Reality with Exoskeleton
In 2001 fourteen companies were bidding to make the first functional exoskeleton for the army. Now the hybrid man-machine has become a reality. I can hear it now, “We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better…stronger…faster.”
Salt Lake City based Sarcos is well known as the creators of the Bellagio fountains. Defense contractor Raytheon didn’t recently buy them because they were impressed with entertainment value. Sarcos was the one company that pulled ahead in the race to build a robotic exoskeleton.
The original intent of the project was to assist ground troops in lifting heavier objects and give them the ability to leap further and run faster. They’ve really hit their marks, as the video below clearly shows.
So what does it feel like to be strapped in as a cyborg? John Main, chief of the Pentagon’s exoskeleton research arm told New Scientist, “It makes you feel really, really strong. You get the sensation that you have a lot of strength. I sort of felt like The Hulk and I’m a skinny guy. I wore a 100-pound weight on my back and it felt I was carrying nothing like that amount.”
Although there are so many implications for this technology, you can’t help but think of what it’s actually going to be put to use for. You don’t exactly plan to integrate a bullet-proof shielded suit for heavy lifting back at the base.
Originally powered by an internal combustion engine, this model could very well use lightweight and compact rocket motors. Either way they still have a few kinks to work out before these go into the field. It’s exciting and a bit eerie all at the same time.
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Drew Smith said
am November 26 2007 @ 2:11 pm
I wonder how much one costs? It’s not too late for you guys to pool some money for my birthday present!
Jerad Kaliher said
am November 26 2007 @ 3:17 pm
@Drew Smith, unfortunately I’d say it’s right outside of the acceptable limits as a birthday present. Good news is I do have a delicious In-N-Out double double with your name on it.
Sam Holland said
am November 26 2007 @ 5:17 pm
The bulletproof body armor suits are totally Heinlen-era starship troopers come to life. I don’t know how well they could aim rifles with that thing, but maybe guns could simply be mounted onto the armor… I used to fantasize about this stuff when I was a kid, and now its coming true. Needless to say, I find this really remarkable. It could have quality civilian uses – walking suits for disabled people isn’t out of the question by any means. This stuff would be absolutely terrifying on the battlefield. At least on a large, flat plain of a battlefield. Maybe the enhanced body armor would function well for city fighting… The world becomes more Sci-Fi every day.
Jerad Kaliher said
am November 26 2007 @ 5:22 pm
@Sam Holland, yeah Starship Troopers was the first thing that came to my mind when they panned to those overlay suits. As of now the aim isn’t that big of a problem. You see that when he isn’t using the bionic arm it moves out of the way naturally. That’s going to be a hindrance either way, I guess.
As for civilian uses I sure hope that there are a few. Let’s just say that I can’t wait to get mine. I wonder if they will have the same capacity or would be toned down to be the strength of a normal human for disabled people? Can you imagine having to hack your grandpa’s suit to become super strong?
Power Armor « Yes said
am November 26 2007 @ 6:02 pm
[...] by samholland under cyberpunk, dystopia, future, futurismo, power armor, tech, war From Bust A Change, again – go there and check out the video, its totally worth watching – I just couldn’t pass [...]
Butch said
am November 26 2007 @ 7:31 pm
This is awesome! I sure hope it finds its way outside the military.
Neece said
am November 27 2007 @ 10:15 am
This is amazingly cool. I agree that it would be neat to see this spread outside the military.
Drew Smith said
am December 2 2007 @ 5:42 pm
I was just thinking today…
While we’ve been saying this would be terrific for people with disabilities and the like, I realized that the issue that nobody would consider is how people with (or even without) disabilities could become reliant on their “power” suit.
How prone we are to abuse and overuse is hugely apparent in, at the very least, U.S. society. We all know about the obesity problems stemming from overconsumption, much less drug and alcohol issues. There’s no reason to doubt that before long groups of people would feel inadequate without the power that they rely on their suits to provide, especially if these suits are facilitating a need that their body cannot provide.
It’s sort of like how we drive cars short distances rather than walking. The ease and comfort displace the inclination to conserve energy.
Jerad Kaliher said
am December 3 2007 @ 10:37 pm
@Drew Smith, you know, I’ve thought of that myself a few times. If you have a major disability a power suit could make you extremely reliant. Is it a chance for people to let themselves go? I think absolutely yes.
I’ve often wondered if we will rely so much on technology to solve our problems that we will become a little less human for it.
The idea of a human body sitting at a desk all day every day of our lives contradicts our evolution. We are not built for it. Just like we are not built for overabundance of food and alcohol.
We need a “jump” in evolution. Perhaps technology is just our way of providing it?