We'll never get em.

 

I want one.

 

fawk exo skeletons, where's my hover board?

 

 

There was one for sale on ebay about a month ago. Should try and track it down lol

 

I wonder when someone is going to get around to inventing a forklift. That would speed up the movement of pallets of ammo, and make loading misiles on planes easier as well. While they're at it, they could invent some sort of 4x4 truck so soldiers can cover ground faster and go up hills with their gear alot easier.

 

I don't get it...

 

Those are two existing tools that handle the jobs this exoskeleton is being built to do. The only thing is the exoskeleton is vastly more complicated and expensive. What it delivers is "neat" but will never be practical because it over-complicates a simple job.

If you want a machine that can make lifting heavy weight effortless for the operator, go rent a forklift. That's what it does really, really well. Notice it doesn't bear much resemblance to a human body.

If you want a machine that can haul heavy loads over long distances without physically draining the entire company of soldiers, go rent a truck. That's what it does really, really well. Notice it doesn't bear much resemblance to a human body.

The human body doesn't operate the way it does because it's cost-effective. It is the way it is because cost and development time was not an issue. The human arm is really a very poor lifting mechanism, but it's incredibly complex and only a fool would think they could reverse-engineer it and somehow manufacture improved versions for less money than raising a kid.

I'm all for DARPA funding these kinds of pipe-dream projects, but I'm not silly enough to think a "powered exoskeleton" is anything other than a really expensive toy. The folks spending the money can talk all they want about feasibility, but what do you expect them to say when they ask for funding for their pet projects?

I have yet to see armies of Honda robots digging ditches and laying foundations. Sure, they have a robot that moves and walks and impresses the kids, but it is useless at the end of the day. There's never going to be a time when it's cheaper to build an army of humanoid robots than simply hiring people to do the work. Non-humanoid robots, on the other hand, are pretty useful.