io9: Exoskeletons

This uncomfortable exoskeleton makes you feel 75 years old

Cyriaque Lamar — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:40:00 PST

If you thought the Mommy Tummy pregnancy simulator was hilarious, try this exoskeleton on for size. This is AGNES (Age Gain Now Empathy System), a suit by MIT's AgeLab that simulates what it's like to be in your mid-seventies. It's not recommended for fisticuffs with xenomorphs. More »

Somebody went and invented the power loader from Aliens

Cyriaque Lamar — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 08:00:00 PDT

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We've seen some fairly convincing power loader facsimiles before, but this refurbished Ditch Witch by Raytheon-Sarcos — who are also experimenting with robotic exoskeletons — isn't that far off from James Cameron's original vision. More »

Darpa underwear will "harvest" soldiers’ energy, give them killer abs

Mark Riffee - Danger Room — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 10:30:00 PDT

Soldiers: Your underwear of the future will do more than prevent crotch rot. It'll protect you from injuries, monitor your vitals, and even "harvest" your energy. That is, if a new project from Darpa's Defense Sciences Office works out as planned. That's an illustration, to the right, of what Darpa thinks its "Warrior Web" onesie might look like. More »

Scientists build robotic legs that can jog like a human

Cyriaque Lamar — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 12:25:00 PDT

This is MABEL, a bipedal robot who currently resides in a lab at the University of Michigan. Although MABEL has no head and needs a guiding bar to navigate its tiny gymnasium, this jogging robot can maintain an eerily human 6.8-mile-per-hour strut. More »

See an exoskeleton that helps paraplegics to walk (and other bionics) in motion

Cyriaque Lamar — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 15:30:00 PDT

PBS Newshour recently did a neat segment on the various advancements in medical bionics, such exoskeletons and biomimetic arms. The segment also featured amputee athlete Aimee Mullins, who's competed with carbon-fiber "cheetah leg" protheses. More »

Neuroscientists create the first brain-controlled exoskeleton

Annalee Newitz — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:23:53 PST

We've had brain-computer interfaces for years now, as well as mind-controlled prosthetic limbs. Now neuroscientists have taken it to the next level, with a system that would allow you to control a super-powered exoskeleton using only your thoughts. More »

Real "Iron Man" Suits are Coming, but are Just the Beginning

Michael Reilly — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 09:33:00 PDT

"Iron Man" fans rejoice: real exoskeletons are coming. Japanese company Cyberdyne has plans to start selling their model, the HAL-5 Robot Suit later this year. The American company Sarcos has its own prototype out, too, so the race is on for new generations of exoskeletons that can do everything humans an do, only better (and fly, too). But while you're watching videos of the two exos performing jaw-dropping feats of strength, MIT biomechatronics researcher Hugh Herr is getting ready to blow your mind by building building prosthetic limbs that could have all the super powers of exos. For the moment he's focused on helping people with disabilities, but he thinks it won't be long before we'll be implanting "bions" inside our body and considering swapping out our biological legs for the shiny new pair in the storefront window. More »