eLEGS System

[Hoplite]

eLEGS | Tech | Gear



Bad-****ing-ass. I cant wait till this kind of thing becomes internal rather than an exoskeleton system.

 

[MaggieD]

eLEGS | Tech | Gear



Bad-****ing-ass. I cant wait till this kind of thing becomes internal rather than an exoskeleton system.

Unbelievable. Wow. It ain't yer granny's robotics any more.

 

[Anarcho-fascist]

Cool.

Bad-****ing-ass. I cant wait till this kind of thing becomes internal rather than an exoskeleton system.

I think that there will be replacement bionic legs before there are ones that can fit inside biological legs.

 

[Hoplite]

Cool.

I think that there will be replacement bionic legs before there are ones that can fit inside biological legs.

That's what I meant. I'm greatly looking foreward to cyberlimbs

 

[Tedminator]

hah! Those eLegs are very cool.

Here is Raytheon's second-generation exoskeleton which was unveiled a couple of months ago at thier Salt Lake City research facility. XOS 2 is lighter, stronger and faster than its predecessor, yet it uses 50 percent less power, and its new design makes it more resistant to the environment. The wearable robotics suit is being designed to help with the many logistics challenges faced by the military both in and out of theater. Plan is to have exo suits deployed in the field by 2015.

Raytheon Company: Customer Success Is Our Mission



One big obstacle, however, is how to power the suit. Raytheon is working on reducing the energy load; the version demonstrated on this day runs off hydraulic power from the Sarcos shop. Smith said chemically powered batteries such as lithium ions are not powerful enough to run the suit for eight to 24 hours at a time.

Batteries also raise concerns over safety. "If they get breached, they aren't gentle in the way they explode," Smith said. A single-cylinder gas or diesel-powered engine may do the trick instead, he said. The wearable robotics suit is now in its second iteration. XOS-2 has all its wires and hydraulics fully enclosed, unlike the first prototype, whose innards were more exposed. That would be problematic in places such as Afghanistan or Iraq, where a sand-encrusted robot would mean a dead robot. "Sand, water, mud are all things we like to keep out of the system, and these current [robotic suits] include sealing strategies that basically exclude them." Smith said. While the suit has obvious military applications, Smith also sees broader commercial possibilities -- and a shorter timetable. He said if orders come in and production ramps up, within three years you could have your very own $150,000 "Iron Man" suit to help push boxes around your warehouse.
Future soldiers may be wearing 'Iron Man' suits - CNN.com