Robotic legs will create an army of super troops

The exoskeleton consists of a pair of mechanical metal leg braces that include a power unit and a backpack-like frame. The braces are attached to a modified pair of Army boots and are also connected, although less rigidly, to the user's legs.

More than 40 sensors and hydraulic mechanisms function like a human nervous system, constantly calculating how to distribute the weight being borne and create a minimal load for the wearer.

"There is no joystick, no keyboard, no push button to drive the device," says Kazerooni, a professor of mechanical engineering. "The pilot becomes an integral part of the exoskeleton."

In lab experiments, says Kazerooni, testers have walked around in the 100-pound exoskeleton plus a 70-pound backpack and felt as if they were carrying just five pounds.
www.usatoday.com...

For those of you with any military backgroud you know that even the best of troops abilities are limited to the amount of supplies they have on hand such as food, water, and ammo. This would enable troops on foot to infiltrate farther without being noticed. They would not need support in the form of trucks and planes to deliver supplies and give away their location. They could just carry all they need and go much farther in one day.

Talk about bad a$$!



[edit on 2-7-2004 by Hoppinmad1]

[edit on 2-7-2004 by Hoppinmad1]