Real ‘Iron Man’ Suits

From Live Science By Bill Christensen posted: 21 April 2008 ET click to read more.
The real-life Sarcos XOS exoskelleton (left) and HAL exoskeleton (right) is compared to the fictional Iron Man (middle).     The real-life Sarcos XOS exoskelleton (left) and HAL exoskeleton (right) is compared to the fictional Iron Man (middle). “Iron Man,” the upcoming movie from Marvel Studios, will be on screens around the world in a few weeks. In the movie, a genius businessman invents a suit of armor with extraordinary strength. People everywhere have been looking at the previews, asking “Who will be first with a real powered-armored suit like Iron Man’s?”      Well, exoskeleton fans, we’ve got some real contenders warming up.    The Sarcos XOS exoskeleton is an impressive device. The suit allows the user to endlessly pull weight; two hundred-pound pulldowns are easy. The user of the suit feels only about ten of those two hundred pounds.     Picking up and moving 70 pound cannisters is just as easy. How does it work? The machine follows the movements of the user, sampling the user’s behavior thousands of times per secone. A built-in computer performs the monitoring, and amplifies the user’s strength with the robotic exoskeleton (see video).    However, Japan’s HAL exoskeleton is not only an impressive device, but will soon go into production for sale. Cyberdyne Inc will produce 500 HAL suits each year, starting in October of 2008.

 

Tags: Creativity, HAL exoskeleton, Invention, Iron Man, Science