Exoskeletons, once simply characters on the big screen in movies such as Avitar and Iron Man are now a reality, being developed for two major functions:  to enable the wearer to carry more weight and in rehabilitation to help the disabled and stroke victims.

Exoskeletons for Extra Strength
Soldiers in battle are often required to carry heavy loads. In fact, while on patrol, it’s not uncommon for a soldier to carry 70 to 80 pounds, including body armor, rifle, radio batteries, food and ammunition. Carrying heavy loads is leading war veterans to suffer from degenerative arthritis, cervical strains and other musculoskeletal injuries, with disability benefits for these injuries exceeding $500 million annually.

In addition, with the aging of the baby boomers and lack of trained nurses,  exoskeletons are being developed to give care providers the ability to lift and carry patients.  In fact, any commercial applications where heavy lifting is prevalent, such as shipyards and construction sites, will benefit from powered exoskeleton technology.

Exoskeletons for Rehabilitation
Exoskeletons are being used for rehabilitation in hospitals and rehabilitation centers to assess motor skills and teach patients to walk again. Stroke victims, patients with spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s, as well as the paralyzed are able to take advantage of powered exoskeletons to give them the ability to learn how to use their bodies again and have a better quality of life.

Check out these exoskeletons being developed and used today. Click on the links below to see videos of these exoskeletons in action.

Raytheon Sarcos XOS 2: Real Life Iron Man
One of Time Magazine’s 50 Best Inventions of 2010, the Raytheon Sarcos XOS 2 Exoskeleton is a wearable robotics suit built from a combination of structures, sensors, actuators and controllers, and powered by high pressure hydraulics.  Designed to help with the many logistics challenges faced by the military, it enables a soldier to endure heavy repetitive lifting at a much quicker pace, with one operator in the exoskeleton suit doing the work of two or three soldiers.

LOPES Therapeutic Robot Gives Support When Needed!
The LOPES (LOwer-extremity Powered ExoSkeleton) rehab robot is designed to assist patients by assessing motor skills and teaching stroke victims to walk again. The LOPES automatically adjusts its assistance depending upon the specific support need of each patient, with the ability to have the patient in charge or the robot in charge, or a combination of both.

Cyberdyne’s HAL: Augments User’s Strength
Cyberdyne’s Hybrid Assistive Limb ( HAL) is a powered exoskeleton suit developed by Tsukuba University in Japan. It was designed to expand and improve the physical capability of its users, particularly the disabled. HAL uses skin sensors to detect electrical commands as they travel from the brain to the muscles, and the suit moves the body even before the muscles move!

Berkeley Bionics’ eLEGS Help the Paralyzed to Walk
Based upon the Lockheed Martin HULC exoskeleton, the eLEGS (exoskeleton lower extremity gait system) is a wearable, artificially intelligent, bionic device that enables people with paralysis to stand up and walk again.  Battery-powered and rechargeable, the exoskeleton fits comfortably and securely over clothing with Velcro straps, backpack-style clips and shoulder straps. 

Hocoma’s Lokomat: A Robotic Rehabilitation Treadmill
Hocoma is a Swiss-based medical technology company that specializes in robotic rehabilitation therapy for neurological movement disorders.  Founded in 1996, Hocoma develops innovative therapy solutions working closely with leading clinics and research centers. The Lokomat System is used for robotic treadmill training of neurological patients with movement disorders caused by stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease. The Lokomat has been on the market since 2001.