Exoskeletons Are Quietly Powering Soldiers, Rescue Teams, and Factory Workers
The dawn of the age of the exoskeleton
Exoskeletons are moving from science fiction to the front lines: Ukrainian soldiers use Hypershell devices to carry artillery shells, Seattle Mountain Rescue tests them for searches, and IKEA, Ford, and Boeing deploy them on assembly lines. The market is already worth around $500 million and could double or triple by the mid-2030s. Modern active exoskeletons use actuators and sensors to boost strength, endurance, and rehabilitation, with future versions potentially reading muscle or brain signals.
According to test results, soldiers wearing the devices 'become less fatigued, work faster, and maintain combat effectiveness for longer,' Colonel Vitalii Serdiuk told the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper in March.
- JKCalhoun
Fascinated as a kid by GE's "Hardiman" exoskeleton [1]. I thought that was the dawn of the age of the exoskeleton.
Adult me is terrified by the thing—it looks like it could snap you in half if you suddenly found yourself less limber than it was.
[1] https://cyberneticzoo.com/man-amplifiers/1966-69-g-e-hardima...
- Tossrock
I still remember doing a double take upon walking into the local hardware store perhaps a year ago, and seeing that apparently you could now just buy a powered exoskeleton to eg help you paint ceilings: https://www.festoolusa.com/campaigns/microsites/exoactive
- jauntywundrkind
Maybe it's just an XL diaper, but, seems topical that the commander in chief seems to be wearing what could quite well perhaps be an exoskeleton pretty much on the regular.
This is just one view, one take. There's something going on though, across a while now. Again, maybe just a huge daiper, fine. But sure seems probable to be a exoskeleton. https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mxf2mlsrb72v
- ambicapter
Slip into this closed-source device which controls your limbs!
- omnicognate
It's the age of ages. Everything that was is dead and the age of everything that will be is upon us.
This morning I consiged my old underwear to the trash heap of history and strode forward into a new age of fresh boxer shorts. I'm off to write a blog about how to query databases in the age of my new pants.
Cool exoskeletons, though.