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Posted by David Sherman on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 13:35:14 :
In Reply to: second attempt at link posted by 48PW on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 09:33:59 :
It's not at all clear from the video that the suit has any power source at all. There appear to be hydraulic cylinders at the knee joints, but other than that, it's just a jointed frame. With no hoses going to the cylinders and nothing attached that comes close to looking like a motor, pump, battery, or other source of power, I'm thinking that all it is is a frame that's designed to transfer weight from the backpack directly to the ground rather than going through the wearer's skeleton. The cylinders are probably just air struts. I think somebody got a DARPA grant to build something neat-looking that's of no practical value.
For a man carrying an extremely heavy pack on flat ground, this thing might save some wear and tear on his shoulders and knees, but if he's going up-hill, his muscles have to not only lift the load, but also lift this "exoskeleton" contraption.
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