exoskeleton

$5,000 Exoskeleton Pants Promise to Make You a Better Hiker

Arc’teryx’s Mo/Go hiking pants use braces and carbon fiber arms to take pressure off your legs when climbing stairs or mountains.

Hyundai’s New Transportation Exoskeleton Is Less Iron Man and More Aliens

Hyundai is developing an exoskeleton that it hopes will eventually become a transportation device. The future will look less like Iron Man, and more like Aliens. The car manufacturer made the announcement on its blog, making no secret of the fact that the suit was inspired by the Marvel character, even if the bulky blue…

Scientists Have Created an Exoskeleton that Kicks Its Wearer in the Knee

There are all kinds of exoskeletons out there. Some save you energy. Some help you do heavy work. Some lightly kick you in the knee. The question is, why does that last one exist? A Swiss research team thinks it can help them build better prosthetics. Walking is simple, until something goes wrong. As you…

This Exoskeleton Boot Saves Energy In An Ingenious Way

After millions of years of evolution, your feet are still not perfectly energy efficient. Enter exoskeletons. Researchers have created a new boot that, unlike other exoskeletons, makes walking more efficient without an extra battery or power source. The boot contraption reduces the energy it takes to walk by about 7 percent. That may not sound…

The U.S. Army is now testing its lightweight warfighter exosuit. The assistive devices could significantly reduce soldiers’ risk to injury and improve battlefield performance. The exosuit, which can cut a wearer’s exertion level by 25% when carrying a 100 pound load, could be ready as early as 2016. Image: U.S. Defense Department

This Is the Future of Heavy Work, and It Looks Awesome

Always fancied riveting one-handed like a super-hero factory worker, some kind of 21st century John Henry? No problem! Lockheed Martin’s Fortis exoskeleton–introduced in 2014–allows any worker to handle heavy hand tools while standing or kneeling. And it looks like the future. The suit enables workers to be more productive with less fatigue or strain, and…

Scientists Made a Soft Exoskeleton That You Put On Like Pants

Exoskeletons that give you superhuman strength sound incredibly awesome but also look incredibly awkward and bulky and uncomfortable. So what about a soft exoskeleton that you wear like a pair of pants? Harvard researchers recently won a DARPA grant of up to $2.9 million to develop the Soft Exosuit. So far, they’ve created a proof-of-concept…

Awesome Home-Built Elysium Exoskeleton Lifts 170 Pounds Like Nothing

YouTuber The Hacksmith has been working on his Elysium-inspired exoskeleton for a long time. Now it’s finally paid off: The pneumatic-powered cyborg arms let him curl more than 170 pounds like it’s an empty pillow sack, complete with exactly the sort of robotic sounds you’d expect. Clearly, The Hacksmith’s work isn’t done yet—he’s still relying…

Mind-controlled Exoskeleton Opens World Cup, But You’d Never Know

Talk about dropping the ball. Earlier today, Juliano Pinto — a 29 year-old paraplegic — successfully kicked off the 2014 FIFA World Cup by using a mind-controlled exoskeleton. But sadly, most TV networks failed to show it. After months of hype, the official broadcast of the opening ceremonies showed only a fraction of it, while…

Wheelchair User Walks Again With a 3D Printed Exoskeleton

In 1992, Amanda Boxtel suffered a vicious skiing accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors said she would never walk again. This week, she proved them wrong, with the help of the world’s first 3D printed exoskeleton that gives her the ability to climb out of her wheelchair and walk once again.…

This 18-year-old invented an exoskeleton glove for the disabled

Teen inventor Charalampos Ioannou from Greece has developed an exoskeleton glove that helps disabled users pick up everyday objects. The achievement earned him one of 15 spots on the International Google Science Fair competition. The exoskeleton glove also made him the youngest speaker to date at the Athens TEDx conference. Ioannou got the idea after…

A Real-Life Iron Man Suit That Could Be as Comfortable as Pajamas

Tony Stark used exotic composites, metal alloys, and other Hollywood-only make-believe materials to build his armor-plated Iron Man suit. But researchers at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute, constrained by the limitations of reality, took a different approach with a muscle-enhancing exoskeleton that could one day be as comfy to wear as your favorite pair of jeans.…

Paralyzed People Walk Again With Mind-Reading Cyborg Skeleton

A robotic exoskeleton that reads the wearer’s mind will make walking possible again for people who have lost the use of their legs. The Mindwalker Project, now being tested by European Commission researchers, combines a mind-reading EEG signal processor that controls a powerful musculo-skeletal system you wear over your legs.

Mind-controlled robot suit could help Japanese emergency crews with damaged nuclear plant

Earlier today, Japanese researchers unveiled the latest incarnation of HAL, the Hybrid Assistive Limb. What makes this version of the suit particularly unique is that it is equipped with a network of sensors that monitor the electric signals coming from the wearer’s brain, allowing them to seamlessly control the suit’s movements. And because of its…

And now, a Japanese pop idol cosplaying as a swarm of cicadas

Have you ever wished to dress as an etymologically (and entomologically) incorrect Biblical plague? Well, Japanese idol, blogger, and cosplayer Shoko “Shokotan” Nakagawa — who considers herself a molted carapace connoisseur — recently revealed her ambitious cicada shell facial fashion. This particular look blends just the right amounts of “cloying” and “exoskeleton” to add up…

The perfect mecha for fighting aliens, monsters, or parents

If only the guys in Super 8 had had this rig! As this demo clearly demonstrates, a robotic exoskeleton is exactly what every kid needs and wants.

Thanks to an Exoskeleton, a Paralyzed Boy Got to Walk on His Graduation Day

Austin Whitney, a 22-year-old student, was able to walk on his graduation day at UC Berkeley. Why is that surprising? Because Whitney is paralyzed from the waist down and needed an exoskeleton to make those seven steps. It’s a heartwarming story of a boy who learned his lesson and remained committed to his goal. Before…

Cybernetic exoskeleton creator flaunts this season’s latest models

Remember Cyberdyne’s HAL exoskeleton that allows you to control a pair of robotic legs with your mind? Cyberdyne recently showcased several of these models in motion. Someday you too can sport a pair of cherry red super-calves. [Diginfo via IEEE Spectrum]

Walking With Paralysis Is Now a Reality

Amanda Boxtel is about to stand up. A skiing accident 18 years ago partially severed her spinal cord leaving her paralysed. Boxtel is wearing a new exoskeleton called eLEGS, which could soon help people with spinal injuries to walk again. eLEGS is being readied for clinical trials by Berkeley Bionics, based in Berkeley, California. Unlike…

Watch Iron Man 2’s Agent Coulson test out a real-life exoskeleton

Clark Gregg may not have have worn the suit in Iron Man 2, but in this video Gregg tries on Raytheon’s XOS 2 exoskeleton — it’s more or less a battlefield version of Ripley’s power loader. This suit is designed to ameliorate lifting large amounts of supplies and ammunition and carrying heavy loads on the…