Weird

In a push to turn the science fiction of exoskeletons into a military reality and deliver the advantages of such technology to soldiers in combat environments, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), is funding a US$50 million project known as "Exoskeletons for Human Performance Augmentation".

The scope of the program includes the development of actively controlled exoskeletons that not only increase strength and speed, but enable larger weapons to be carried, provide a higher level of protection from enemy fire or chemical attack, allow wearers to stay active longer and carry more food, ammunition and field supplies. Exoskeletons may eventually even be programmed to bring injured soldiers back to base by themselves.

Systems will range from un-powered mechanical devices that assist a particular aspect of human function to fully-mechanised exoskeletons relying on chemical or hydrocarbon fuels for totally independent operation by soldiers in the field.Several different projects under the DARPA umbrella are underway including SARCOS Research Corporation's Wearable Energetically Autonomous Robots (WEAR). Designed for on-foot combat, WEAR will include a base unit configured like legs, torso and arms that mimic human movement using complex kinematic systems and contain energy storage, power systems, actuators and everything needed for an autonomous wearable system.