Robotic suit could usher in super soldier era

May 15th, 2008 By MARK JEWELL, AP Business Writer

Software engineer Rex Jameson, wearing a robotic soldier suit being made for the U.S. Army by Raytheon, poses next to a mockup statue of a future soldier on Monday, April 14, 2008, in Salt Lake City. The suit can multiply its wearer's strength and endurance as many as 20 times, with relatively little loss of agility, by sensing and almost instantly amplifying every movement the wearer makes. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

(AP) -- Rex Jameson bikes and swims regularly, and plays tennis and skis when time allows. But the 5-foot-11, 180-pound software engineer is lucky if he presses 200 pounds - that is, until he steps into an "exoskeleton" of aluminum and electronics that multiplies his strength and endurance as many as 20 times.

---

Content from The Associated Press expires 15 days after original publication date. For more information about The Associated Press, please visit www.ap.org .

---

Similar stories from PHYSorg:

Many women add too many pounds during pregnancy

May 28, 2009 | not rated yet | 0

Create your own mini-gym for next to nothing

Jan 06, 2009 | 2 / 5 (2) | 1

Great white's mighty bite revealed

Aug 04, 2008 | 4.4 / 5 (9) | 7

NIST Encasement Now Protecting 'America's Birth Certificate'

Dec 12, 2007 | 5 / 5 (1) | 0

Britons offered cash grants to buy electric cars

Apr 16, 2009 | 4.7 / 5 (26) | 0

• googleplex - May 15, 2008
  • Current rank
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Rank: 4 / 5 (2)
  • rate
  Here comes iron man....
  • flag
• Mercury_01 - May 15, 2008
  • Current rank
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
  • rate
  sweet, were almost there. i want o fight a bear in one.
  • flag
• thales - May 15, 2008
  • Current rank
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Rank: 4.2 / 5 (6)
  • rate
  "relax and trust the robot."
  
  Famous last words.
  • flag
• mrlewish - May 15, 2008
  • Current rank
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Rank: 3 / 5 (3)
  • rate
  First you wear the robot. Then the robot wears you.
  • flag
• Soylent - May 15, 2008
  • Current rank
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Rank: 4 / 5 (1)
  • rate
  If we can only figure out how to get enough power density from fuel cells(preferably not hydrogen) it seems like an ideal application for them. Not noisy, high energy density and possible to use indoors without worrying about carbon monoxide, NOx and particulates.
  • flag
• Glis - May 16, 2008
  • Current rank
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
  • rate
  He didn't look 'slow' at all in the video. He moved a hell of a lot faster than I expected or even seen in a movie. They didn't demo the strength very well though. Picking up two ammo boxes isn't very impressive. They should have had him doing cooler stuff, like pulling a train or robot humping a washing machine.... or just doing the robot.
  • flag
• humanist - May 17, 2008
  • Current rank
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Rank: not rated yet
  • rate
  Anybody read "Starship Trooper?" (NOT the lame movie..)
  • flag