FT Chronicle

To upgrade and extend natural capacity of a human body, U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is investing $50 million in developing Exoskeleton suit.

This wearable robotic system could give human the ability to run faster, carry heavier weapons and leap over large obstacles which is very useful for soldiers.

It is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of an exoskeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the activation-energy for limb movement.

Powered exoskeletons are designed to assist and protect the wearer. They may be designed, for example, to assist and protect soldiers and construction workers, or to aid the survival of people in other dangerous environments. A wide medical market exists in the future as prosthetics to provide mobility assistance for aged and infirm people. Other possibilities include rescue work, such as in collapsed buildings, in which the device might allow a rescue worker to lift heavy debris, while simultaneously protecting him from falling rubble.

The first exoskeleton was co-developed by General Electric and the United States military in the 1960s, named Hardiman, which made lifting 250 pounds (115 kg) feels like lifting 10 pounds. It was impractical due to its 1,500 pound (680 kg) weight.
The potential of non-military applications is also phenomenal. In 2000, DARPA requested proposals for human performance augmentation systems, and will soon be signing contracts to begin developing exoskeletons
The military agency said that the testing of this new technology is at least a decade away. It will be much longer before soldiers are donning these body amplification systems for battle.

Nowadays, current exoskeletons have been used like the Lockheed Martin HULC (Human Universal Load Carrier) legs which allows the user to carry up to 200 lbs on a backpack attached to the exoskeleton independent of the user, the Cyberdyne’s HAL 5 arms/legs that allows the wearer to lift 5 times as much as they normally could, the Honda Exoskeleton Legs, the M.I.T. Media Lab’s Biomechatronics Group legs, and the Sarcos/Raytheon XOS Exoskeleton arms/legs which is used in the military to replace the wheelchairs.

Overall, soldiers are expected to benefit increased endurance when marching long distances over unpredictable terrain. With increased strength, they will also be able to repair heavy equipment that would otherwise be impossible to repair.
In the future, it is projected that exoskeleton would be more useful to human activities to have a better and easier living.

Resource reading: science.howstuffworks.com