Life Imitates Art.

Saturday, February 12, 2005 Life Imitates Art. Something I found at Jane's - Self-powered exoskeleton assists human locomotion. Potential functions include allowing dismounted soldiers to carry much heavier loads - such as weapons, other equipment and wounded troops - than is possible with muscle power alone. The Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton (BLEEX) consists of mechanical metal leg braces that are connected rigidly to the user at the feet and more loosely elsewhere. BLEEX is designed so that the wearer becomes an integral part of the exoskeleton and requires no special training to use it. More than 40 sensors and hydraulic actuators form a local-area network for the exoskeleton that functions much like a human nervous system. The sensors, including some that are embedded within the shoe pads, constantly provide the BLEEX central computer with brain information so that it can adjust the load based upon what the human is doing. Like right out of Aliens! How cool is that. 9:37 PM | | |