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=//**US army develops robotic suits**//= By Rajesh Mirchandani BBC News, Utah

On the big screen, films like Robocop, Universal Soldier and forthcoming release Iron Man show man-machines with superhuman powers. But in Utah they are turning science fiction into reality. We are at a research facility on the outskirts of Salt Lake City, ringed by beautiful snow-capped mountains. Once they held the Winter Olympics here; now they are testing endurance in other ways. The aluminium limbs gleam in the brilliant sunshine, as the strange metal skeleton hangs from a safety harness at the outdoor testing site. It seems to be treading water; actually its programme is telling it to keep the hydraulic fluid in its joints moving. Rex Jameson, a software engineer here at laboratories run by Sarcos, the robotics firm which designed the XOS exoskeleton, steps up and into the suit.

The lightweight aluminium exoskeleton, called XOS, senses Rex's every move and instantly moves with him; it is almost like a shadow or a second skin. It is designed for agility that can match a human's, but with strength and endurance that far outweigh our abilities. With the exoskeleton on and fully powered up, Rex can easily pull down weight of more than 90 kilos, more than he weighs. For the army the XOS could mean quicker supply lines, or fewer injuries when soldiers need to lift heavy weights or move objects around repeatedly. Initial models would be used as workhorses, on the logistics side. Later models, the army hopes, could go into combat, carrying heavier weapons, or even wounded colleagues.

There are still problems to solve, not least how to create a mobile power supply that can last an effective length of time. But the US military expects to take delivery of these early prototypes next year, and hopefully deploy some refined versions within eight years. It is a long way off before we see robot soldiers that can fly or fire missiles - like in the movies - but the designers are already imagining future versions more reminiscent of Hollywood.

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7351314.stm



In Utah, the army is now developing a light-weight aluminum exoskeleton, called XOS. Rex Jameson is the software engineer who is testing the suit. The XOS suit is almost like a shadow or a second skin. It is designed for agility that can match humans, but with strength and endurance much greater than a human’s abilities. The XOS senses every move that the human inside it makes, and instantly moves with him. For the army the XOS could be very useful, because at least for now they can be used as laborers. The army hopes that later models can go into combats. There are still some problems to solve, but the US military expects that within 8 years this robot will be finished.

PROS CONS
 * Strength for the army
 * Quicker supply lines for the army
 * Fewer injuries
 * Soldiers have an easier time when lifting heavy weights
 * Could go into combat carrying heavier weapons or colleagues
 * Light
 * Great strength and endurance
 * Doesn’t have a mobile power supply that can last an effective length of time
 * Later models might be very destructive
 * Has to be fully powered up to work well
 * Slow

I believe that this exoskeleton could really help many people, not only the army, and it would probably be a lot better if it weren't only utilized in combat. I think that it could really help handicapped people, or people with conditions that make it harder for them to move, or people who have very little endurance. I believe that the XOS will greatly improve many peoples lives once it is developed further.

Other Links @http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/09/28/xos_2/

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