Imagine a suit that would allow for self-propelled flight, came with an arsenal of weaponry and was capable of resisting a myriad of projectiles. Now stop thinking of Marvel's Iron Man, and look to a handful of real-life prototypes ranging from Japanese prototypes designed to assist the wounded and elderly, to the whacky Master Chief looking, Robocop imitating, water resistant Trojan suit. The notion of having an exoskeleton suit designed to protect troops on the battlefield, or to facilitate the lives of those otherwise incapable of walking, has been in production since the 1960's. The first ever prototype was made in a joint effort between General Electric and the United States military. The suit became known as Hardiman, a suit capable of allowing the wearer to lift 110kg with the least of efforts. The downside of course, was that the suit itself weighed roughly 680kg and unless it was plugged into a socket, you were out of luck. Science has carried the Iron Man idea much farther since. Japan is a pioneer in medical robotics, and have developed several prototype robots and exoskeletons designed to aid in hospitals and the care of the elderly. One such suit is known as the Hybrid Assistive Limb, or more commonly known as HAL. The latest prototype, HAL 5, is designed to assist people with disabilities. The suit allows the wearer to carry roughly five times as much weight as the wearer could lift unaided. HAL 5 is scheduled to be tested in hospitals beginning in 2012. HAL is a Tsukuba University project, in co-operation with the Japanese robotics company Cyberdyne. The original HAL prototype was the brainchild of Yoshiyuki Sankai, a professor at the university. The first prototype development began in 1990, with the first three years spent mapping out neurons that link the brain to the legs. The next four years were spent trying to convey the brain's electrical signals to the motor. The first prototype was bulky and needed to be attached to a computer. The suit was so cumbersome it took two people to help put on. HAL 5 on the other hand, weighs only 10kg, by far the lightest suit of its kind. Both the computer and the battery are strapped to the waist. According to Tsukuba University, the suit detects biosignals on the surface of the skin and translates it into movement. The biosignals are given off by the nerve signals sent to the muscles when someone attempts to move their body. As a result, the suit moves with the body, aiding the wearer's muscle activity. Due to the way the suit works, it has been considered to be the first cyborg-type robot. Of course, the HAL has also been proposed for military use, mainly to aid injured combatants. In terms of military application, the ability to fire off round after round of rockets, fly, protect the wearer against blasts and projectile weaponry are still some ways away. The United States military has contracted Raytheon to develop a suit capable of lifting heavy loads and allowing the wearer to exert minimal effort in such tasks. XOS2 is a tethered suit, which grants the wearer immense strength beyond their capabilities. In a test video, the wearer of the XOS2 is seen punching through wooden boards, doing pushups, lifting weights and walking around with relative ease. The downside of such technology still remains, the battery life. At the moment the XOS2 must be attached to a power supply, and thus is not the most effective piece of combat equipment. Don't feel disappointed however, because where the military fails, the mad scientists (claim to) succeed. Enter stage left, Master Chief, the principal protagonist of the HALO video game series. Master Chief's suit was the inspiration for the Trojan Ballistics Suit of Armor. The Trojan was designed by garage scientist Troy Hurtubise, known as an eccentric, if not entirely insane, by his peers. The initial Idea for the Trojan was known as Project Grizzly, named so after Hurtubise came face to face with a grizzly bear. According to Hurtubise himself, the suit specifications are as follows; Dual pistols attached to the outside of the thighs by magnetic holsters, a sheath on the wrist t hold a knife for close quarter combat and a peper spray capsule for emergencies (which he claims could incapacitate 40 ‘insurgents'). The helmet has an intake and an exhaust fan to keep the user cool, and a laser targeting system used to mark targets for snipers, a voice-activated radio, two high-powered lights and a voice-changing mechanism. A small compartment on the suit holds a small dose of salt, and a light transponder on the chest can be activated to signal helicopters. A transponder chip is also present, which the user could swallow, to allow for extraction from enemy combat zones. Present on the right leg is a small remote-controlled surveillance robot, which could be controlled by the user and monitored on a fold-out screen on the left leg. Funnily enough, a small shovel is found in one of the shoes, and a world clock system is set on the groin. All this technology and materials weighs in at 84kg and has cost Hurtubise 150,000 dollars to produce, yet he believes could be mass produced for as little as 2,000 dollars. When Troy isn't developing his Trojan Suit, he is busy curing cancer, creating super heat resistant paste, impenetrable armor for vehicles and testing all of these on himself. While none of these suits have yet to achieve flight or awesome shoulder-mounted cannons, if anyone can do it, it's Troy… or maybe this guy. BM
