SKIRMISHER

The latest version of MIT’s exoskeleton makes an 80-pound back pack weigh only 16 pounds to the wearer. Which means this thing can become so cool in the future you might actually be able to save the universe from the onslaught of evil aliens! Hah!

MIT’s exoskeleton is unique in that it uses only 2 watts of power, relying on a network of springs and dampers to transfer most of the load to the ground. As you can see in the picture [above], shoulder straps, waist belt, thigh cuffs and a shoe connection attach to the wearer.

MIT will continue working on the exoskeleton; the device does alter the gait of the user, and tests show that the user increases their oxygen intake by about ten percent due to the added load. However, the MIT exoskeleton is much lighter than the BLEEX (Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton) developed in 2004, which weighed one hundred pounds by itself due to its 3000 wat internal combustion engine power plant. The HAL-5 robot suit offers arm strength enhancement as well as leg strength enhancement; the HAL-5 suit was used by an alpine mountaineer to carry a quadriplegic to the summit of a Swiss peak in 2006.

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