Jul 06 2011

If you’re into powersuits, check out this military exoskeleton

Published by at 12:07 pm under Powersuits

The U.S. Army is testing a new exoskeleton that can hopefully increase physical endurance of soldiers so that they can carry an unusually large pack of equipment through wildly rugged terrain for extended distances.  Currently, the exoskeleton allows a soldier to do 12 miles (half a marathon) while lugging 200 lbs.  We’re not quite at the level of Iron-Man (yet!) but this is a promising development.  Off the battlefield, it might also allow the paralyzed to walk again.  Very exciting…

12 responses so far

12 Responses to “If you’re into powersuits, check out this military exoskeleton”

  1. # Castilleon 06 Jul 2011 at 12:45 pm

    I’ve heard of this somewhere before… I have always thought it would be cool to have mechas storming the battlefield in Real Life.

  2. # Contra Gloveon 06 Jul 2011 at 12:58 pm

    Pfft. Booooooring!

    Talk to me when you’ve got a Koubu at the very least. I’d feel safer in one of those. 🙂

  3. # B. Macon 06 Jul 2011 at 1:17 pm

    Hey, it’s still a developing field, Contra. Give them a few years for the battlemech stuff. 🙂

  4. # Contra Gloveon 06 Jul 2011 at 2:23 pm

    Okay. Guess that’s the way of the world. After all, we don’t have flying cars either.

  5. # The ReTARDISed Whovianon 08 Jul 2011 at 3:15 am

    That looks so cool. I’d totally waste time with one though, I’d be running around Perth going “WEEEEEEEEEEE I LOOK LIKE A CYBORG WITH THIS THING!”

  6. # Crystalon 08 Jul 2011 at 1:54 pm

    Yeah, probably me too.

  7. # K Perryon 13 Jul 2011 at 8:22 am

    Since one of my heroes does use a powersuit I think this is great. Looks like Iron Man isn’t so far off.

  8. # Wingson 17 Jul 2011 at 8:48 am

    Allow me to join the other posters in frolicking through a field of daffodils…in a battlemech which shoots fire into the air every few seconds. My dream, it has been realized.

    – Wings

  9. # B. Macon 17 Jul 2011 at 9:10 am

    Okay, but I find flamers less effective than autocannons or missiles. 😉

    Perhaps this is why my customized mechs in Battletech have a hilarious tendency to self-detonate when their ammo gets damaged: They’re walking ammo dumps. I once had a ton of autocannon ammo in the mech’s head and the mech took ~380 explosion damage right to the face, when it only would have taken only 20 to blow the face off to begin with.

    PS: As it turns out, putting ammo in the head is not terribly shrewd, but I’m addicted to symmetry.

  10. # Wingson 17 Jul 2011 at 9:22 am

    Yes, but…burning things are pretty! 😀

    – Wings

  11. # B. Macon 17 Jul 2011 at 10:38 am

    Speaking of burning things that are pretty, the fiery basilisk in the new Harry Potter movie was almost assuredly the movie’s best special effect.

  12. # Wingson 17 Jul 2011 at 11:09 am

    …I don’t recall that part from the books, but okay. If it’s burning and also pretty, I’m game.

    – Wings

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