BIOMECHATRONICS experts at the Massachussets Institute of Technology Media Lab have created a device to lighten the burden for soldiers and others who carry heavy packs and equipment. Their invention, known as an exoskeleton, works by transferring much of the weight of a heavy backpack directly to the ground. The person wearing the device places their feet in boots attached to a series of tubes that run up the leg to the backpack. Springs at the ankle and hip and a damping device at the knee allow the device to approximate the walking motion of a human leg, with a very small external power input of around 1W. Previous designs by other research teams have required around 3kW from an external power source such as a petrol engine.
展开▼
