Tony Stark, the brilliant fictional inventor who developed and became Iron Man, may not be too far ahead of his time. In a previous post I talked about a bionic hand and its potential for restoring functionality to someone with an amputated limb. Recently, developments in exoskeleton technology have given paraplegics the ability to walk. Though it’s not a flying suit of destruction just yet, exoskeletons will have a significant impact on people dealing with lower body paralysis.
NASA (yes it still exists) is developing the X1 Exoskeleton to prevent muscular atrophy in space. Astronauts living in the space station, who operate in a weightless environment, encounter little physical resistance in their daily routines. In the absence of a resisting force like gravity, astronauts cannot lift weights or perform other kinds of exercise. The X1 is a 10 joint exoskeleton, weighing only 57 pounds, which NASA hopes will combat muscular deterioration in space.
NASA is testing the X1 on earth and so far it has given paraplegics the ability to walk with the aid of crutches. Preprogrammed walking movements allow people with no control over their legs to move forward, however they cannot yet control the pacing or movement of the exoskeleton. NASA hopes to add additional sensors which will allow someone to control the X1 by leaning forward or backward (Legway anyone?). Though NASA isn’t interested in commercializing the X1 anytime soon, they believe that exoskeletons will revolutionize how paraplegics travel. Devices like the X1 may one day eliminate the need for wheel-chairs.
So you still want to be Iron Man? Well there actually is something that more closely resembles an Iron Man suit being developed for the military. Defense contractor Raytheon SARCOS is developing an exoskeleton for the military which provides endurance, agility, and super-human strength. The exoskeleton is run by a computer which receives input from six pressure sensors. The suit responds to the movements of the wearer and mimics his actions before any force is exerted, making the suit an extension of the individual. A cool proof of concept model was developed and during one demonstration a test engineer did 500 pull downs of 200 pounds before getting bored. The current prototype must be hooked up to a computer and is a long way from becoming standard military issue.
Which is more exciting, an exoskeleton for paraplegics or a super-soldier suit? Do you think this technology will find traction or is it going to fail commercially?
