Robo soldiers, a step toward superhuman military strength
2:46 p.m. Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Salt Lake City, Utah — American soldiers are well trained and physically fit.
But they're still vulnerable. The human machine gets tired, needs rest, and performs only within the limitations of flesh and bones.
But Rex Jameson is stepping inside a robotic exoskeleton that mirrors or mimics everything he wants to do.
200-pound pull-downs become as easy as picking up a piece of paper.
"We did this 500 times 'til I got bored. I could basically do it ad nauseam," said Rex Jameson, who tested out the exoskeleton.
Jameson was not out of breath, not weary and had no muscle pains or strains.
If he needs to pull away from the exoskeleton do something on his own, it just floats and waits for his return.
Some ammo cans weigh 72 pounds. Humans lifting 150 to 200 of them onto a pallet would get tired, but Jameson, commanding his exoskeleton, does it in round-robin fashion faster than the cans can be re-stocked.
So what can he do with the exoskeleton?
Lift 200 pound weights?
Piece of cake.
Running. Walking on heels. Prancing. Walking up a ramp. The list of exercises that become really easy is long.
Meshed with exoskeleton, Jameson punches this bag with just the right amount of strength.
From enough grace to gently play ball to enough super power to load a missile on an airplane, the exoskeleton does it all.
"He has get-out-of-the-way controls which follow from the end of the feet to the hands, and the machine will just follow where he goes," said Wayco Scroggin, director of production at SARCOS.
During these experiments, the prototype is tethered. There's also a safety line as a precaution.
But, the end product will be portable with its own backpack power. And the skeletons, in various models, will be covered offering different levels of protection for the soldier inside.
Circuitry boards for every part of the body will allow movement, strength and flexibility.
Eventually, exoskeletons could even become autonomous, allowing the soldier to step out, then to go on and perform a task on its own.
"If you step out it, it becomes a humanoid robot. If you step into it, it become a tele-operated robot. It becomes a super hero -- super human strength," said Owner and CEO of SARCOS Stephen Jacobsen.
Down the road, the exoskeleton along with other machines will go to the Army for more human experimentation and tactical tests involving soldiers.
Robo soldiers, a step toward superhuman military strength
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