Powered exoskeleton - An Iron Man on Every Corner

Powered exoskeletons are a wearable mobile machine that is powered by a system of electric motors, pneumatics, levers, hydraulics, or a combination of technologies that allow for limb movement with increased strength and endurance.

For a long time the concept of a true powered Exosuit was confined to the realm of science fiction but in 1960 one was finally created. Co-Developed by the US Armed Forces and General Electric, the Hardiman suit was an exoskeleton that allowed someone to lift a 250lb item like it was 10lbs. Run using hydraulics and electricity, the suit amplified the wearers strength by a factor of 25, meaning that lifting 25 kilograms (55lbs) in the suit was as easy as lifting 1 kilogram (2lbs) without. Here is a video of a US army prototype in action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2W23ysgWKI

Powered Exosuis have a variety of applications in an assortment of areas, from medical to military and even civilian. These suits could give people without the ability to walk increased independance, and help those working on rehabilitation. in the military sector Exo Suits will decrease the burden of gear a soldier must carry allowing them to do more for longer, but it can also allow them to weild heavier armerments. In the civilian life Firefighters and other rescue workers would be able to be safer and do more in dangerous environments and construction workers could use heavy power tools without the strain curently involved.

There are however limitations and other issues involved with the development and production of exo suits. Power supply is one issue being worked through, current non rechargeable batteries don't have a long enough life and rechargable batteries would require a charger to be brought along, not to mention the time factor of chrging. the skeleton and acuators must also be strong but light otherwise much of the exo suits power would be dedicated to just moving itself.

These problems are being worked on though and technology in these areas is improving seadilly with major breakthroughs every no and then. Lastly here are some pictures of exosuits, frirst you will see a real system then design concept and last a "currently" sci-fi suit concept, I say currently because the suit in the last image is based on a real suit. http://www.livescience.com/38779-elysium-exosuit-science-fiction.html

How Exoskeletons Will Work

Kevin Bonsor-Patrick J. Kiger - http://science.howstuffworks.com/exoskeleton.htm

DARPA Tests Battery-Powered Exoskeletons on Real Soldiers

Evan Ackerman Posted 22 Sep 2015 | 19:00 GMT - http://spectrum.ieee.org/video/robotics/military-robots/darpa-tests-batterypowered-exoskeletons-on-real-soldiers

Powered exoskeleton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powered_exoskeleton