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For years U.S military contractors have been trying to develop an exoskeleton that would allow soldiers to carry greater amounts of equipment and weaponry. Three years ago the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a part of the United States Department of Defense, funded the development of a prototype, the Bleex 1. The suit gave soldiers the capability to carry an extra 70 pounds of equipment. But, power was limited to a mere 15 minutes, and soldiers could only move six feet per second. Engineers say that the next phase of development, Bleex 2, will be a vast improvement.

In the consumer market, things move a bit quicker. Two exoskeletons are about to hit the proverbial street. Neither will have the repulsor rays or flight capability of the comic book character Ironman. However, both will give their wearer strength and endurance benefits that will help in the performance of daily tasks. Moreover, both should help people with mobility impairments lead better lives.

Steve Jacobsen and the engineers at Raytheon Sarcos Incorporated have developed the XOS exoskeleton. The machine is in many ways more complex than the human body. We use electrical impulses, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints to move. The XOS has to mimic those in a way that will not put excessive strain on the relatively fragile human user. Sensors attached to the user's body send electrical signals to a central computer to detect force of movement. Much like our brain, the computer controls impulses sent to a series of valves, actuators, cables and joints to perform the actual movement. The sensors monitor the user's movements at a rate of thousands of times per second, then amplify his strength as needed to perform a given task.

It may be somewhat unnerving to learn that Cyberdyne Corporation, from the Terminator movies, is a real company. Furthermore, its engineers really do build robots. But fear not. These are not autonomous devices bent on taking over the world.

Operating for a maximum of five hours on a single battery charge, the company's HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) exoskeleton is an extension of the human body. It works in a similar way to the XOS. Sensing electrical impulses from muscles, a computer activates corresponding servos of the suit, causing motors to mimic a wearer's motions. But, it does more than that.

The amount of assistance the suit provides is adjustable and depends on the strength of the person using it. The weaker the person, the more assistance is given. In this way, this device may be able to help those with mobility impairments. There are real applications for physical therapy and strength training. Furthermore, because of its movement and strength-augmenting abilities, people with mobility impairments might find they can do more once they don the suit.

The company is betting on this and marketing to health care workers, hospitals, and people with disabilities. By the end of 2008, Cyberdyne hopes to be producing 500 suits per year. These will be leased to medical institutions and nursing homes. If you'd like one of your own, you can have it for about $40,000.

Finally, there are several other agencies attempting to develop exoskeletons to assist people with disabilities. These include Berkeley Bionics' Exoskeleton Orthotic Systems and the University of Michigan's Ankle Exoskeleton, and Argo Medical Technologies' ReWalk.