Boffins at Panasonic subsidiary Activelink have built a working Power Loader suit, just like the one Ripley used to go hand-to-hand with the alien queen in the movie Aliens. And better than that, they went on to make an eye-wateringly dull video of it in action.
The aluminum exoskeleton stands just over 5 feet tall, weighs 230KG (507lbs), and will let the user lift loads of up to 220lbs, as well as actually walking around while wearing it. That’s not enough to toss an alien into an airlock, but it may be enough to help rescue disaster victims (one of the suit’s main purposes), and to do it without crushing their puny human frames: The Power Lifter uses force-feedback to let the wearer feel the robot’s movements.
You will not be slipping one of these on anytime soon, though. Research has been going on since 2005 and marketable models aren’t expected for another 15 years.
Power Loader exoskeleton suit [Pink Tentacle]
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