back to article Forget Tony Stark's Iron Man – exosuits of the future will be spandex

Exosuits have featured prominently in comic books and films for decades, but as they move from research labs to the work environment, they're looking more like couture from Robin Hood: Men in Tights than artifacts from Iron Man. Exosuits, or exoskeletons, that assist human activity date back to the late 19th century, but weren …

  1. Christoph

    "The researchers foresee their exosuits helping soldiers carry heavy loads"

    Better be very sure the suits aren't hackable!

  2. Chris G

    EAPs

    Electroactive polymers sound like an interesting avenue of research for a spandex exosuit.

    They are piezoelectric polymers so they expand with an applied current and contract back to rest when it is off, I am not sure of the efficiency at the moment but it is somethong that could be incorporated into a spandex suit to gain some kind of augmentation.

    1. TeeCee Gold badge
      Happy

      Re: EAPs

      ..somethong that could be incorporated into a spandex suit...

      Typo or Freudian slip?

      1. ecofeco Silver badge

        Re: EAPs

        So a "wedgie"?

        Second coat tonight, but less restrictiveone this time. :)

      2. Chris G

        Re: EAPs

        Maybe a Freudian typo?

        If an electro muscle twitched in the wrong place it could be unpleasant, unless you like that kind of thing!

  3. Your alien overlord - fear me

    a. All superheroes (with super powers) wear spandex. Glad to see someones put 2 and 2 together!!!!

    b. How come all those disco dancers in the 70's looked so lame or is that lamé ?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    OK

    So........ it can help me walk further.

    But, can it help an overweight guy slam dunk? Let me know when it can.

  5. Eddy Ito

    "a lightweight, conformal under-suit that is transparent to the user (like a diver's wetsuit)."

    I don't think the Major is a diver unless he was thinking of a dive skin. A wetsuit like long johns and step in jacket that's 6 or 7 mm thick is anything but transparent to the user.

  6. m0rt

    So does anyone else see that image as moving toward bionic suspenders?

    1. Sooty
      Pint

      They're techno-trousers, ex-NASA, fantastic for walkies!

      1. Ugotta B. Kiddingme

        Re: "They're techno-trousers, ex-NASA, fantastic for walkies!"

        but do they come with Gromit to save the day?

  7. PhilipN Silver badge

    Great ... but ...

    Why bother? Walking etc. with two counter-balancing legs of similar dimensions, one left, one right, with alternating separation from Planet Earth works great for us 'cos that is how we are built*. It is not the optimum method for locomotion generally. Nor is it efficient, when one leg has to be strong enough to bear the entire load while the other is in mid-air. It has proven to be an immense challenge to replicate industrially. Wheels (1, 2, 4 or more) are a better option in many scenarios. The exception is where the mountain goat comes into his own. Or the tank track.

    * and don't get me started on having 5 toes at the end of each leg - whose brilliant idea was that?? If it was to help us count to 20 it failed - and a foot of a couple dozen bones more advanced (and effective) than anything Mr. Adidas has yet invented.

    1. ecofeco Silver badge

      Re: Great ... but ...

      Well played. Well played. Up voted.

    2. Rich 11

      Re: Great ... but ...

      It is not the optimum method for locomotion generally.

      Exactly. So where's my jetpack? Hurry up, scientists! I'm not going to live forever.

    3. druck Silver badge

      Re: Great ... but ...

      @PhilipN are you arguing for more legs? How many, 4, 6 or 8?

      1. allthecoolshortnamesweretaken

        Re: Great ... but ...

        I feel that it should be a prime number.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    So the Iron Man of the future is going to look like Richard Simmons?

    I may have to start rooting for the bad guys :)

    (Mine is the old school armored exo-suit)

  9. Arctic fox
    Headmaster

    "Social acceptability may not matter in conflict scenarios"

    True. However, one might under certain circumstances in conflict scenarios wish to be able to conceal such enhancements.

    1. annodomini2

      Re: "Social acceptability may not matter in conflict scenarios"

      Also if it is cheap, flexible and integrated into the uniform there is no need to "strap in".

  10. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Go

    Even passive biosuits have uses.

    The MIT team are testing one on the ISS now to try to counter the growth of the human spine by up to an inch.

    With electroactive polymer threads they can put the put under roughly 1/3 Atm compression, equal to the pressure inside a normal space suit, which is their long term goal.

    I'll note its the EA polymers that provide the last 0.05atm strength. The other 0.25 is by a carefully laid pattern of elastic threads (working out where to put these in the 1960's was the key breakthrough of the time).

  11. DropBear

    These might have their uses in light-assist / medical or even military endurance enhancement applications but I just don't see them happening in heavy military / industrial settings where the goal would be to notably increase load carrying / lifting capacity - you simply need the rigid frame to take the load off the person wearing it, pushing and pulling here and there on a body-suit won't do squat there.

    1. Voland's right hand Silver badge

      The issue is actually attachment.

      You can easily provide assist to the foot as you have a natural attachment point in the form of a boot.

      Now try to provide assist to the upper portion of the leg. Hard exosuit does not have issues here as it applies the assist to the shell. In a soft one you will need to drill the bone somewhere near the knee to fix attachment points to it.

  12. Scott 53

    Iron man?

    Definitely do-not-iron man if Spandex is involved

  13. batfink
    Paris Hilton

    Transparent to the user?

    I'm with Eddie. A wetsuit is not "transparent to the user". Nor, thankfully, is it transparent to passers-by. Although now I've planted that idea in someone's mind....

    Paris, because of course she'd be the first to model one.

  14. Trigonoceps occipitalis

    "enhancing recreational activities"

    Insert Comment Here:

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "It turns out there are better ways to enhance strength than heavy metal armor"

    You can't kill the metal,

    metal will live on.

    1. Chris G

      "It turns out there are better ways to enhance strength than heavy metal armor

      You can't kill the metal,"

      I beg to differ, when I ran around in the infantry a few decades ago, I had quite a few things to tote at various times that would kill quite a lot of (heavy) metal.

  16. Tikimon
    Linux

    Can these be remote-controlled by penguins?

    In no relation to the subject line... I fail to see how the comparison to Google-Eyed Glass is relevant. Gl-ass was known to be always watching, and that's creepy as hell. People did not like the idea of being watched, recorded and "shared" by random fanbois.

    People wearing an exo-suit are more likely to get interested and admiring looks, with not a few friendly questions. Some folks will be weirded out, but most will be curious or not care. However, if you wanted to destroy your public good will, simply bolt on an obvious camera.

    Worlds apart...

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