Exoskeletons Will Never Happen: Here's Why
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2021
- In the 2010s, the promises of exoskeletons were inescapable. Works of fiction envisioned the average individual having insane powers like that of Iron Man. But the reality of this technology significantly flopped. Failed military contracts, unrealistic prototypes, and sensationalized journalism all lead to the downfall of this once promising technology.
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Exoskeletons and exosuits don't have to make you a superhuman and they don't have to be full-body devices. Simple exo designed for specific tasks can simply reduce the weight on a workers shoulders for example and that in itself is valuable since it is reducing musculoskeletal injuries. As for the Chinese exo, they are not just plastic braces, they transfer the weight of their heavy backpacks to the ground and that is when heavy backpacks are the number 1 reason for injuries in the US army.
exactly
Yeah the power of the roman empire came to a large extend from their superior sandals...sounds funny but the gave them a great logistical benefit
@@m3ntal_c0re exoskeleton i'm sure this technology only for breaking teeth people jaw
@@m3ntal_c0re "superior sandals" 😂😂
@@Toasted_Crumbs 😂
Things my dad told me would never happen (that I asked him could I learn to build as a kid)
1. Cellular phones
2. Mobile phones
3. Robots
4. Electric cars
5. Flying cars
6. Touch screens
7. Photo-realistic video games
8. VR
Please Sir, if you have kids, don't tell them what can't or won't be done! You will just limit their imaginations.
By no means trying to limit the imagination of people but the difference between a dream and a goal is a plan. The field of powered exoskeletons, while very imaginative lacks planning and sometimes an understanding of physics. I’d attribute them as more of a “flying car” idea than a smartphone: futuristic and imaginative in concept but redundant and unrealistic in execution
This is a really smart comment until you actually think about what you are saying for a second. Basically "don't think about incredible claims made by science journalists who are just trying to pump out clickbait promoting corporate vapourware that never materializes ie. all of Elon Musk's scams." You might as well just say "I want cool things to be real so don't actually think critically about them."
This is basically like that Neuralink BS, which was a real invention made to help disabled people interact with the world which Elon slapped his name on and then got a bunch of headlines and hype by saying "it would let you put your iPhone in your brain and play video games plus telepathy." Because apparently saying what it actually did, help paraplegics move around, wasn't sci-fi and cool enough. Musk's name wasn't on any of the actual neuralink patents by the way, but it didn't stop him from claiming that they were basically the stupid brain ports from the matrix and the same stupid tech websites that are telling you about these "exoskeletons" are the same ones which swallowed Musk's total lies about neuralink hook line and sinker. No what people need is not a "dad" that will blow sunshine up their ass and tell them "anything you saw in a movie is not only possible but will happen soon" but actually a big dose of skepticism and common fucking sense. The hype people have gotten used to swallowing uncritically on CZcams has gotten way out of hand and it's only gonna disappoint you when you come back down to reality, which is actually interesting enough on its own without the BS.
@@Enginomics Don't say no to flying car yet :P
czcams.com/video/a2tDOYkFCYo/video.html&ab_channel=KleinVision
@@Enginomics I'd argue 85% of the issues with exosuit design is lack of efficient power supplies, 5% biomechanical and 10% materials.
Much like orbital elevators, exosuits are still mostly "conceptual technology". Yes we have some very primitive designs (ar least compared to where what we think they should be), but there's also the fact that much of the materials currently being used are lacking greatly in some form or another themselves.
Exosuits likely _WILL_ become a thing in the future... once we have a better understanding of the technologies the require.
TL:DR version
We need more mature technologies to make them feasible.
@@NeroLordofChaos Power suits are a thing. It's just that you are wired to a power source, and can move around much, So i'd say it's only a power source.
Exoskeletons will absolutely happen. All that is required for exoskeleton technology to become sleek enough for the average person is advances in battery tech and advances in artificial muscles. The tech wasn't really there 10 years ago, but it's quickly reaching that point nowadays.
Not that liquid crystal muscles are being made it'll surely play a big role in power armor and exoskeletons maybe even implants for humans way down the line. Just a matter of time and research.
Why would the average person want to have this? Not everyone needs to work lifting heavy weights on a daily basis. A few thousands would be enough, and the less electronic components the better, because I don't want a future world where there are billions of batteries for all kinds of useless stuff that we don't need, requiring gazillions of materials that have to be mined using big machines that heavily pollute the environment. And all that just for a battery that will last for like or years or so and will need to be replaced.
I don't see any progress in this supposed new industrial revolution that the world economic forum of scammers united are trying to sell us. Not every technological invention is a good thing, an advancement. Sometimes the cons surpass the pros by a lot. When environmentalists talk about a green future powered by electricity I don't know if I should cry, scream, or get mad. Is like people buy any slogan if is sold enough times by their favourite idols of worship, their favourite celebrities. "Green", "environment", "clean", "electric cars", "smart cities"... Ugh.
Sorry for the rant.
I still believe that using hydraulics would be an effective similarity to muscle
@@ricecooker7037 It's not and never will be. If you want it to be similar to muscle it has to mimmic muscle.
@@ricecooker7037 not true hydrolics are horrible for movement because with it you cant really control how you want the arm to move
Exoskeletons will definitely become a thing, but more for niche and specialized tasks than all-purpose supersoldiers.
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John 3:16
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Currently in school for robotics engineering. Im working on a lightweight exoskeleton and so far its been able to improve lifting capacity by 15% and lower the effects of weight on the joints by close to 50%. Dont say never, people said theres no way a human can talk to another human from a different building before
but is it cheap and easy to maintain? How often does it need repairs? Are the parts easy to get? Are the tools needed to maintain it easy to acquire as well? What about technical skills need for maintenance?
All those have to be cheaper and easier to do then other means and tools. Exosuits likely won't have a real practical use till it's cheap and easy.
Dude, the author is a moron who's full of himself
Before we even get there, I think having certain braces can be pretty useful tool. Like the braces that lock into a chair when you go to sit or the kneeling brace for gardeners would be an absolute hit for farmers that have to pick weeds and beans all day.
Bro, it doesn't need to be an iron man suit to be practical. Imagine lifting a full military kit and it just feels like your normal weight, that's what it'd be good for.
Do you realize how insanely hard that is?
@@christophegroulx8187 do you realize how fats technology evolves?
@@christophegroulx8187 hm hm ask russia about ratnik 1
@@turtlegaming4427 It doesn't exist...
@@christophegroulx8187 not too hard actually. We had the HULC. The problem with that system was the sensor reaction to movement trying to stabilize the weight + it's massive battery. As technology evolves. We'll def get to a way more naturally-reactive sensor. Kinda like how Boston Dynamics and their robots. They're a peak example of tech leaps when it comes to sensory input
To me, the realistic point of exosuits isn’t so much that they COMPLETELY enhance the physical abilities of humans, but that they reduce the amount of strain that physical activities have upon the human body and, as a result, frees up more of our energy to be exerted in other movements that we make. Consider this: You’re wearing an exosuit and carrying a tactical backpack that normally weighs, say, 150 lbs. Without gear, let’s say you weigh 200-ish pounds. That means the total amount of weight you’re casually moving around is at least 350 lbs., maybe more. However, with the exosuit, you’re walking around with the ease of someone wearing an extremely light backpack because it’s handling most of the strain in keeping your weight and balance in check. This as a result frees you up to spend more energy, say, keeping a good pace with mobility, being able to scale vertical obstacles that you’d otherwise not be able to, keep a steadier aim when using your firearm because less weight is straining your posture, strike someone with far greater force due to the fact that you’re leveraging your 350+ lbs. body with the speed and precision of someone weighing 120 less than you actually are, etc. At first glance, these benefits don’t seem superhuman, sure. But keep adding up all the things the exosuit is assisting you with, and you inevitably end up with someone who can perform strenuous and exhausting tasks with an ease that makes a world of difference when the chips are down.
Except that this type of load-carrying exoskeleton is also the one that failed.
@@christophegroulx7816 Except for that, yeah. XD
The Hilti Exo-S, Comau Mate, OttoBock and others are non powered exos that help workers lift weight over their heads. They are currently in use now.
I still want one for work, i HATE not being able to lift anything "heavy" by myself.
"I don't need help, I need an exo-suit"
You need to do some push-ups, furry.
Exoskeletons never focus on the actual weak points for human activity. Which is holding weight in awkward positions. While holding 50 lbs might not be difficult holding a wide piece of material that is 50 lbs puts the strain on the elbows which can not hold this position as we do not have the muscle mass necessary for this.
So a suit capable of being worn on the arms and back that can lock in place so that the weight load can be transferred from the elbows to the shoulders, back and forearms which can easily hold this weight.
Another example is that something that is able to be carried on the shoulder must be transferred from the ground. So a suit where the foot and leg can be locked into place so that the user can pivot the force with their arms onto their shoulder and put the load onto the locked leg instead of the back is another practical use.
Most of these suits don’t focus on the fact that most people have the strength to do these tasks but maneuvering our body to lift or hold the weight is often where we struggle or injure ourselves. This is why knee, shoulder and back injuries are so common. They are weak points in our body’s design that these exoskeletons can help us overcome with the proper engineering.
The suits don’t need to be powered or increase our strength. They simply need to have the ability to allow us to use the suit as a way to lock in certain positions and use leverage to transfer the weights load and stress onto the suit rather than our body.
Most of these suits get the knees right where it assists us in that weak point between squatting and standing. We are very comfortable in both positions but it is the in between that we usually struggle with. The same can be applied to our elbows and back. Our arms are strong but our elbows can’t hold the same level of stress. So the ability to lock them in place removes our most vulnerable area. A suit that has a system where we are forced to bend out of shape to move our back and then naturally drags us back to standing position could allow us to grab something by bending over and then letting the suit assist us in overcoming our weak point in between.
Exoskeletons are already performing real life miracles, which cannot be disputed.
dont argue with a pea brain. A lot of impossibles from the 20th century are already happening atm.
I never expected them to be used in battle not for another 50 years or so when they are small enough and flexible enough and light enough with all the benefits intact but right now I expect them to be used as support like carrying large heavy things that normally require 2-6 people to carry into a 1 man job and that’s how I saw it used…carrying ammo and munitions and supply’s to the front lines and around bases to helipad refueling and al that lol why can’t they use them for that idk..
So why not have exos that get their power from a cord, from a nearby vehicle? Whether it's combat, firefighting or police duty, being able to carry excessively heavy armor would help. From my perspective, I'd rather have that and let my teammates behind me deal with the cord. Alternatively, one man could carry (or even wheel) the battery that feeds the exo with a cord.
The main goal of current military exoskeleton efforts would be to carry excessively larger loads longer distances. While I agree carrying heavier armor could be helpful, a nearby vehicle could simply carry the larger load instead of the battery that supplies the power.
This inevitably lead the US military to abandon the efforts since it would be bulky and cumbersome.
@@Enginomics you know i feel like in the early 21st century we won’t have exosuits, military wise you’re probably right, a simple truck would likely be more efficient than a complicated exosuit, however i believe when technology becomes more advanced exosuits will happen, maybe somewhere in the 2040’s-60’s we’ll have batteries small and compact and powerful enough to power exosuits without exposed wires or other hazards, plus i believe by then we’d have the technology to make exosuits that can do other stuff besides increasing the carry capacity of the user
I feel like having an external cord connection would be too limiting in terms of mobility. I can see people getting tangled up by the cords just like someone playing on a wired VR headset.
Cords in a military unit intended for mobile operation is already a very, very bad idea for all sorts of reasons. Soldiers are expected to get into all sorts of situations in different environments where your circumstances can change very quickly in the blink of an eye, and that requires the infantryman to have the mobility needed to adapt to said changing circumstances. Being stuck by an umbilical to anything is a major detriment to a soldier's mobility, and hence anything that requires a cord attached to a vehicle just for infantry use is automatically doomed to fail.
cords would limit your paths to predictable patterns which enemy can easily use against you.
I remember reading about a guy who did math computations in the portion of his brain that normally controls limb movement and as a result, he was ridiculously fast at it. Which means super complicated, limb movements that these exoskeletons would require are crazily, complicated math equations in our brain that we do subconsciously.
I think you will see them, but all of the bugs will be worked out before they become common place. I also think initially you will see them in the manufacturing industry, as basically glorified back supports in braces, then rehabilitation tools in the health industry, and then the construction industry. Before they are adopted completely by the military and then only for elite units.
I agree that they could be useful as back support in manufacturing but that kind of labor is becoming less and less common in my opinion as a lot of previously back-breaking labor can be completely automated.
Construction could be another angle I didn’t cover. That could benefit from the kind of support you mentioned as construction is more manual labor.
But as mentioned in the video, US military support was dropped for any sort of future exoskeleton R&D based primarily on the cost to benefit ratio. If the military was on board, I could see that propelling the tech forward, but right now that doesn’t seem to be the case.
You bring up a lot of good points, it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out
@@Enginomics imagine if they were able to create a modular armor plating system to protect the user. And them into walking tanks
@@deadshot4245 you could, just wouldn't be very functional on a hard skeleton like these supposed ones. Perhaps if they were softer, woven into a jumpsuit of sorts with softer, more intricate parts then we could use that suit to hold and suspend these plates if they aren't just put on top. A lot of protection for bikers, riot control, dirtbikers, and the like would have something similar, something that keeps the plates flush with everything else for functionality's sake.
@@Enginomics IIRC Ford has been using exoskeletons for a while now to allow assembly line workers to reduce injuries caused by repetitive movement, in parts of the assembly line that require more flexibility than what a robot could currently do. Also, Japan has sold exoskeletons to elderly people who want to regain their strength and mobility to do similar repetitive work like gardening.
The biggest use case I can see other than prosthetic stuff is a bit of extra muscle inside homes and other buildings. You’ll have spare batteries or the mains supply at hand, and you’ll have no forklifts to compete with.
I remember trying to tell people the past number of years that fully self-driving cars [sharing the road with people] is not happening anytime soon, and that we'd get flying cars long before that. What people call "self-driving" is actually "driver-assisted".
My mother is a software engineer and has worked on flying car concepts. She said the reason autonomous self-driving cars would take forever is because you have to tell the computer how to identify everything it detects.
For example, a bouncing ball... the computer is not going to know what a "ball" is until you input calculatable variables with accessible, analytical data for it to be identified, and for it to do so extremely quickly. The car could probably tell the ball is fairly harmless or even predict correctly it won't hit the ball, but that "ball" means "child could be running out into the street". The car would not know to stop for the ball or even slow down upon seeing a bouncing ball on the sidewalk or in a parking lot. Then there's a stray balloon or a leaf on the freeway which you create a number of correctional exceptions to ignore. A manakin or sign on the side of the road is not cause for alarm, but the car won't know that, and if said humanoid sign/manakin falls over and starts moving towards the road on a freeway, the AI might freak out and force the car to stop or evade, causing an unnecessary accident.
It might work out if the self-driving cars had their own roadways and shared a network of data on a very fast, secure, and powerful wi-fi, but as soon as human input intervenes (i.e. an errant driver evading police) or a data error occurs, the entire system is now compromised and peoples lives are at risk. But the limitation is calculating and accounting for tens of thousands, if not millions of exceptions and pieces of data so that people don't get killed, any any slight error could be the result of mass recall and high liability. We're talking about tech that's supposed to be easily accessible to the masses, but that's difficult to achieve in the imperfect, chaotic world we live in.
I do have a question though. Thinking about most uses besides hiking and marching (any long range and remote task), why is being tethered to an external power source such a bad thing?
Wouldn't most jobs have the skeletons and suits be confined to a general location anyways? Couldn't you just drag along a cart of sorts filled with batteries (or a generator) work if more independent maneuver is really necessary?
What if the exo suit is to be used in loading docks or warehouses? In such scenario you or the user of the suit is required to move from point A being the cargo to point B being the loading or storing area but ultimately the operator will be required to exceed the range of a stationed exo suit
@@saadalkhatem3890 just do the 90 minute battery thing, there solved. It only becomes a problem if you're in the field like a marine or soldier
@@saadalkhatem3890 I think at that point, a fork lift would be better. Maybe not so much in confined spaces though. I think exos would be really beneficial with first responders in natural disasters or serious car wrecks and such.
Imagine a world with billions of batteries being produced every year. Those batteries don't come from the trees, the materials need to be mined by very expensive and very polluting machines, then there's the life expectancy of those batteries and all the waste that they will produce after they die.
Believe me. The so called green world of tomorrow powered by electricity, with electric cars everywhere, exo skeletons, robots, smart cities, smart everything, is not going to happen, and if it does it will be a disaster of biblical proportions. Don't believe this false utopia.
Why say it'll "never happen?" You should have said "won't happen in the foreseeable future." The first main reason you say they're not feasible now is energy density. I don't come from a technical background, but from what I understand, Lithium ion cells have an energy density of slightly lower than 1 Megajoule per Kilogram, even on the high end. Hydrogen has an energy density of 120 MJ/KG, right? So if they managed to figure out hydrogen fuel cells, the energy density issue would be solved, wouldn't it. Or are you somehow saying that hydrogen fuel technology will never happen as well? On what basis are you saying this?
As for the precision issues, that seems like iterative thing. The level of coordination they've gained with increasingly acrobatic robots is pretty good proof that they're on track to get there with wearable robots. Seems more like a matter of time. The level of acrobatics and coordination we're seeing from these robots was inconceivable 30 or 40 years ago. As in, it just couldn't be done, and engineers at the time couldn't even think of how they could feasibly pull it off at the time. If someone looking at the state of the art at the time said we'll never get robots precise enough to mimic human movements like dancing and rough terrain traversal -- which is essentially what you're doing now re: exoskeletons -- they'd have been wrong.
"Never" just seems like way too strong a word. You haven't pointed to some element of physical reality or science that literally makes this concept impossible, like a perpetual motion machine would be. And you also didn't point to any element of economic behavior, market forces, etc that would prevent such devices from being widely used. You pointed to use in helping disabled person as the only feasible use case. But use in assisting industrial or manual labor is also an area of development that is still actively being worked on. And if, in these two areas, it the technology develops to a point where a relatively small amount of iterative improvements or lateral alterations makes it feasible for military applications, you can bet your bottom dollar that the military's interest will be renewed.
I don’t think you fully understand hydrogen fuel cells if you think strapping one to you is a good idea
@@christophegroulx8187I don't think you understand lithium ion batteries if you thinking putting one up to the side of your head is a good idea. Oh wait, ee already do because they're our your cell phones even though they can explode and/or cause fires too.
@@MaximumNewbage To be safe, hydrogen cells require a heavy enclosure around it, nullifying all the weight reduction given by the exoskeleton. I know this is CZcams comments but wow some people are really clueless
@@christophegroulx8187 Actually some cars that run on hydrogen have a system to not explode easily without any heavy enclosure around it.
@@christophegroulx8187 ...
Exoskeletons purpose are advenced strength but not mobilty and speed for obvious reasons. Add to that some thick armor plating and you have yourself a human-sized tank suit
a tank suit that needs more computational power then the targeting system of any ACTUAL tank, is more vulnerable to high explosives, carries less firepower, is more expensive, and serves a tactical niche that is dying out anyway.
a 3 hour charge exoskeleton is enough for military breaching operations (for the front doorkicker)
I agree that exoskeleton might not be widely used but what about transporting heavyweights through rough terrains. In military, helicopters are very useful for this mission but they are also extremely vulnerable to enemy firepower if there is no cover from the allies. While a squad of 7 men equipped with exoskeleton can deliver goods to war zone in a sneaky way.
Exoskeleton doesn’t necessary to makes us human to be superman but rather to help us reduce carrying weight in many particular situations
Not every youtuber is an engineer, Ford proves this guy wrong. czcams.com/video/NTl5f7Xudso/video.html
Regarding the battery issue, you should take a look at the graphene battery. It seems ridiculous, but it's benefits far surpass lithium-ion batteries. The ability to drain and recharge from 100%-0% without affecting battery life, rapid recharge (minutes for an EV), and no risk of chemical spills, toxic vapors, burning, or exploding resolve many of the crippling hurdles of the current batteries. (They are starting with coin batteries, but some companies are also finalizing graphene car batteries)
Slowly, but surely, the problems for exosuits are being fixed! :D
The US marines? Trialled a quadruped walkover as a pack mule and it was denied primarily due to cost.
No exoskeleton vs no superhuman exoskeleton are 2 vastly different restrictions.
Even lightening the skeletal load on a trooper by having a support system with a few kilos of batteries supporting 20-40% of the carried weight would be a huge advantage for the average squaddie.
That means more ammo, more supplies and less train on the average person
People will always ask what is real, until the robot exists.
I thought the point of power armor is to be bulletproof requiring lazer guns, not to have superhuman strength. Thats what genetic engineering is for.
The title is a little misleading. Mech suits might not be a thing any time soon. But non powered exoskeletons are in use and are a great help today. Especially in manual labor and repeated work movements. I had a chance to try out some and the price is the only limiting factor to a wide spread implementation imo. It would be cool to be able to pick up a pallet of materials and all, but I am just glad all the hype actually brought innovation at this point.
I for one am not ready to give up on exoskeletons so easily. I believe that one, they can be made and used in the battlefield.
Imagine a couple of decades as modern militarys begin to adopted exo skeletons for heavier weapon systems.
If you're not trying to reconstruct the Astartes from 40K, there are uses for Exoskeletons in a military capacity. A light augmenting exoskeleton would take a load off; literally. The military has had issues with the size of soldier kits for a long time now, exoskeletons solve that. You can have a couple of dudes dragging a long a lot of supplies for their squad, especially in terrains where you can't take a vehicle in easily, like mountainous terrain.
And that's just frontline logistics. The rest of the logistical chain would very much like exoskeletons to take a load off of lifting and moving objects.
Viewing exoskeletons as essentially mechsuits that augment strength instead of basic load-bearing equipment, which is what it is, is wrong. This technology doesn't augment strength. It just reduces strain on muscles and bones. This technology can happen and is actively happening with ongoing research to this day.
I myself have been working on an exoskeleton, specificly a leg portion, that cushens the a high drop. I am using air springs and am making progress in its usability range. In short, I got to the point of it working, but I still have to make it practical for every day use.
czcams.com/video/NTl5f7Xudso/video.html
That sounds like what Ford is doing here.
It's intriguing to encounter such a rigid mindset amidst the remarkable advancements we're witnessing. It's imperative to acknowledge that the landscape of technology has evolved far beyond conventional expectations. For instance, while your perspective aligns with the notion of an 'Iron Man' suit, it's essential to recognize the nuanced distinctions within the realm of exoskeletal technology. What we're observing isn't merely an exosuit, but rather a manifestation of power armor-a mobile suit, if you will-exhibiting a sophistication that transcends traditional paradigms.
Furthermore, the realization of exosuits is not merely a figment of science fiction, but a tangible possibility rooted in scientific and engineering advancements. Consider the strides made in material science, where lightweight yet durable composites and alloys are being developed, enabling the construction of robust exoskeletal frameworks. Additionally, advancements in energy storage and propulsion systems offer the potential for prolonged operational capabilities, overcoming historical limitations of power supply.
Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence and sensor technologies further enhances the functionality and adaptability of exosuits. By leveraging machine learning algorithms and real-time data processing, these suits can anticipate user movements and environmental conditions, offering seamless integration with the wearer's intentions.
In essence, the development of exosuits represents a convergence of multiple disciplines, from mechanical engineering to artificial intelligence, all working in concert to redefine the possibilities of human augmentation. Embracing this broader conceptual framework allows us to appreciate the intricacies and possibilities inherent in contemporary technological innovations.
vehicles are exoskeletons, if you think about it. Those weren't the best but now they have evolved and become the common thing of the day. Exosuits could have a similar future. I believe if humans want it to be real, they will make it real. Just like how flying cars aren't practical, but they are cool, and I bet we will have them one day because fiction inspires innovation.
Exoskeletons that would be considered feasible for anyone that isn't already handicapped, need a frame that will support what the human frame cannot. You can't design an "exoskeleton" that would lift much more than a normally fit person can already lift. A design that would allow for this is no longer an exoskeleton, it's a walking mechanized vehicle, and the operator is just a rider exerting little of their own strength. There is definitely a market for exoskeletons that will strengthen our weaknesses, and enhance our endurance at certain tasks though. The older I get, the more I look forward to what will be available in the future to keep me active.
The military said that stealth helicopters were impractical and can the project. This is one of those things that i believe is very close. May even be here.
In the 50’s and 60’s they worked on experimental exoskeleton technology, just as Fallout did. They left the idea behind though, but still the creators didn’t keep it up.
I agree 100% on the energy density, but I disagree on the precision. The precision and computational power required to create the bipedal robots of Boston Dynamics is vastly greater than a power suit. A power suit already has a computer to control the limbs, which is the operator. All the suit has to do is respond to and follow the human input command, and this could be done entirely with analog controls and hydraulic valves. The military applications for this technology in urban warfare can not be understated. Tanks and aircraft are highly vulnerable in cities, infantry excels in urban combat. Having "heavy infantry" to sweep streets and buildings is very valuable because not only would they be so highly armored as to resist rifle fire across well over 90% of their body, but they could carry thousands of rounds of ammunition and carry much larger, heavier caliber guns with just as much ease as a sub machine gun. The power suit also allows for new possibilities, such as bringing back watercooled machineguns that don't need their barrel swapped. Imagine a water cooled MG42 with a continuous belt connected to a belt box containing about 2 thousand rounds of ammunition that never needs its barrel swapped. Hell, with power armor a M134 becomes man portable, you can just vary the rate of fire by controlling the RPM of the gun. Not to mention that a new generation of automatic grenade launchers can be developed.
They just made one three weeks ago designed for military a police use, we still don't know if it'll be used, but it really should be.
The main issue with Exo is they keep designing them with a Power supply in mind. When the main Draw and POINT of a Exoskeleton is to help the body preform better, The only reason they keep missing the mark is they are skipping the baby steps to a full suit, Sure it would be really cool to hook a metal frame to a human body, Slap some power in there and now you can lift a tank..... That is not the point tho. imagine putting on a lightweight frame that on its own can support an extra 100Lbs. and Now you wear this light frame, will you still feel that weight sure, But its not all in ONE spot it is instead spread over the whole body.
This is the same idea as European Plate armor, That shit is heavy but when ur inside it the weight is so spread out it only feels heavy after long period of use.
I've been mulling over a new type of unit to complement the Army's new doctrine that I'm calling the Heavy Assault Infantry which would be given to the "Penetration" elements under the new doctrine. It would be specialized for closing with and destroying heavily fortified targets and MOUT. The focal point of this unit is a new vehicle concept, the Heavy Engineering and Assault Vehicle or HEAVe. This vehicle would essentially be a turretless tank, more heavily armored than current main battle tanks, except it trades a large gun for troop carrying capacity and engineering capabilities, such as a front plow and a MICLIC launcher operated via CROWS. It would also have a CROWS operated Mk 19 grenade launcher and .50 caliber machine gun. It would be extremely heavily armored on the front, sides and top to ensure survivability in urban terrain. The vehicle would have 3 crewmen: Driver, Lieutenant Commander (who commands the vehicle upon dismount) and CROWS Gunner. It would be able to carry these 3 crew and 11 dismounts who represent a Heavy Infantry squad. The dismount squad has the same structure as the current Army infantry squad but with an organic combat engineer added for each fire team. The combat engineers would be armed with a carbine as well as a portable breaching shotgun, breaching charges, and any other task appropriate equipment such as battering rams, detcord, sledge hammers, ladders and bolt cutters. This addition of combat engineers to organic infantry squads would give extra tactical solutions at the squad level as well as increase the firepower of the squad as a whole.
I know it's just a movie but watching the dude break his back in iron man 2 killed any hype I had about exoskeletons.
I believe the issues you mentioned can be fixed, not easily but it is possible. Most of the issues are inability of adapting to the human body or the power of the exo skeletons, those issues isnt major and can be fixed if a lot of effort was put into it.
Ithry never put any money into it. Everything is going into drone tech now so we’ll see if a private group can take it up.
Not really, a lot of money is being poured into battery tech and the progress is still very slow.
@@christophegroulx7816No not really crap that was a concept 10 years ago is becoming a thing and fast I disagree with that people usually get proved wrong most of the tings that we think are impossible are very much possible
@@LunarMARAUDER Source on this claim?
I wouldn't say they'll "Never happen" but they're certainly on hold for the moment
I think the question is about minimizing the mobility decrease while maximizing the strength and armor benefits. We should focus more on making soldiers heavily armored, and strength.
If batteries improve power density by 10x, will exoskeletons become viable? What is the minimum power density improvement needed?
I see more value in indirect combat applications like artillery, navy gun loaders, mechanics or maybe even tank loaders. A man being able to lift a 200 300 or maybe even 400 lbs shell like its nothing could not only make bigger guns more viable but make current guns even more efficient.
Power isn't a complete barrier. In lots of applications, a tether is just fine. Precision doesn't have to be a total barrier either. For one thing, precision per $ is increasing. For another thing, reduced precision is also fine for lots of applications. Example: a two legged exo with a tethered wheeled battery pack, just to enable walking. You are right, that lifting cars and jumping over buildings is probably out.
I feel like exo suits could be made with heavy springs instead of hydraulics, and they don't have to be "super human strength" I imagined these would be useful for hauling things like firewood, firewood isn't too heavy to carry but goddamn would an exo suit make it a huge difference. Actually I think I saw exo suits being used to build cargo planes just because the tools needed to do so we're so heavy, I remember it showed a worker without a suit picking up an impact gun that looked really heavy, but a worker with a suit on picked it up and was moving it around like it was no heavier than 5 pounds. (Edit) literally just got done writing this then found out some dude already said it before me 👉🤡👈
That completely random Covid Delta reference sure dates this video
I think they're just going the wrong way with it. I don't think electric is viable for exoskeletons. I think air is best for a more "general use" type, and hydraulics for heavy applications because they're slower but stronger than air
hilti does sell 2 exosuit, one to lift heavy tools, the other one to relieve arms when working over the shoulder. 1500$ each
But there are passive exosuits that works on springs and help lift heavy things
Festools are releasing a upper body "exo skeleton" that will lift up to 5 kg (~11pounds) per arm for helping craftsmen with work above the head. So they are already here.
Where exoskeletons may have a use is that for humanoid robots.
Say such a bot 90% o the time only needs to be able to lift X weight but say 7% of the time it needs to lift 2x and 3% o the time it needs to lift 3x its weight.
Rather than having to build three variants or one super version that has more lifting power (and thus cost and weight) one can just build the 1X model and then equip it with an exoskeleton those times it might need to lift that extra weight.
A similar argument could be made if the bot needs specialized equipment such a special hands and such.
So as we see more and more humanoid bots come upon the scene we might also see an up tick in the use of exoskeletons as well, but created for robot use and not so much human use.
They will happen but for combat they make a person to slow and heavy. The only use they will ever get is for carrying large loads long distance, they can make tasks easier but also much more expensive
exoskeletons will happen the advantages for better endurance, higher loads, better speed, and such are something that will happen it's that the technology hasn't been fully profected
It was thought that humans were just not able to fly, Da Vinci still believed. Hundreds of years in the future, we can fly, it’s just different than what he imagined.
the company my dad works at have exoskeleton for employees. theirs is more a spring loeaded type. its design to stand up and support you while doing it. if you feel like resting you unclip little legs that become a stool when leaning back
Re: battery limitations. I know this is a pretty fundamental problem but surely there are contexts where being tethered to a power source isn't out of the question. Like working on a garbage truck for instance
The military didn't trash the concept of a exoskeleton. They simply didn't bring if out at this point due to power demands of the system. So essentially the military sent the scientists and engineers back to the drawing board to come up with a better power source and continue the development.
The US government spends around 800 billion a year on the military. Most of that money goes to R&D and maintaining equipment.
The problem with Talos was the power source. Currently the military has an exoskeleton but it's a prototype tethered to a power source. So it's going to probably take decades of development to see the concept become reality.
I think it all boils down to how science will progress in the future
New discoveries can make once impossible things to turn into completelly viable options
So, unlikely now ? Yes
In the future? We really dont know
And we will never have a man land on the moon, or create motorized vehicles that do over 200 mph... Right?
I agree about using exoskeletons for medical purposes and supporting the disabled, especially veterans.
As for the battery life, this can be solved using things like a common charging cable (sitting down next to an outlet), better batteries, etc.
Plus, I’m not really on board of the whole process of “hey we discovered a new technology! Let’s immediately make it military!”
But yeah, I think the future of exoskeletons is that we make them more affordable and more efficient for those with mobility issues and disabilities.
It's just how far are we from humanoid robots is almost now and that will pave the exoskeleton technology as well which are just robots that allow people onboard and to act as control. The effort going into this is huge. The variation of there's a human inside the robot is simple enough. Instead of computer control you have human control. Also the merging of brain and machine is more on the way with BrainEx that is a machine that can keep brains alive outside the body. So you have a brain on BrainEx life support operating as control unit for the humanoid robot either remotely or with the brain in the robot.
They are already here. Granted, they are not primary equipment because robotics will do most things at a lower cost than an exosuit can, but powered armor exists. The question is, what is your definition of an "exosuit". Its low yield power, basically just for stability and some locking joints to disperse weight during movement and to improve carrying capacity. Its also questionable if the agility reduction is worth it, but suits being tested for people with a disability grants them cababilities such as, you know, walking when you cant walk.
In my opinion I think exoskeletons would be good because they can help you Cary more armour on you and all over you so then it can get to the point to where it would be nearly impossible for a handheld weapon to penetrate through it
Flamethrower then
There are a number of non-powered exoskeletons, wich are ment to transfer weight from wearers body to the ground and diminish fatique. For example welders in shipbuilding are supposed to work for HOURS with their hands lifting the equipment above or on the level of their heads. Non-powered exoskeleton nulyfiing (from their point of view) the weight of the equipment and partially supporting their hands when up, makes a great difference. The same goes for soldiers (or people liking long hikes and trekking), diminishing their backpack weights, wich allows them to carry more equipment or armament. There is a knee bracing wich can be added to "non-powered exosuit", wich works as power generator by simple walk of the operator. There is special boot called bionic boot, meant for the wearer to run faster and easier. In the sci-fi clasic ALIENS movie, you can see special bracing for the "smartgun" weapon, wich particulary helps to aim, and particulary helps to carry the weight of the gun. There is a special overhead brace, ment to lighten and ease the use of heavy bullet resistent personal shield, in conjunktion with rifle. I would LOVE to see performance of some amalgamation of the "unpowered exoskeletons".
Meanwhile, the technology goes still up. The first WORKING POWER ARMOR probably will not be covering whole body, will add "powered" only to SOME part of the body (the fingers probably not at first), and will behave little slower than in popular culture, because the speed of response to the wearer takes some time and technology, for READING your bodily movement from your brain, to give the armour at least the time your own body needs between idea and movement - to seemingly move at the same time (or a split second sooner than) yourself.
Power itself is no impossible problem. First, there are much better (power density regarding) batteries aviable now, Second you do not necessarily NEED batteries - you can have a minigenerator in backpack, running on hydrogen fuel cells. And finaly third - you can have a spare fuel cell (or powered battery) on you, to prolong the operational time.
Not to mention, there already IS flying solo-soldier jetsuit, wich WAS inspired by iron man suit, and at the moment it is being fieldtested and checked by the brass. It seem indisponsible for boarding actions (against enemy ship), and extremely ussefull in urban warfare (hopping from skyscraper to skyscraper).
This video starts from the wrong premise - namely, that an exo-contraption is a failure unless it mimics some movie schlock-and-awe nonsense that is usually a thinly-veiled advertisement for the MIC.
There are tens of thousands of people with mobility issues whose lives would be improved if they had access to a 5kg reduction in the effort required to take a step.
There are people with shoulder problems whose lives would be improved if they if they could reach down a 1kg jar from a shelf above eye-line.
And in both cases, the *small* reduction in effort, adds up to a dramatic slowing of work-related 'wear and tear'.
For the upper body, the VAST bulk of the benefits of this type of thing can be achieved with *unpowered* "assistives".
The lower-body-mobility assistance furnished by recent products (e.g., HyperShell; SportsMate) would be more than enough for a very very large number of people. It would keep people out of wheelchairs; keep them walking.
Once people go through the mental "process" of confinement to a wheelchair, they basically accept that today is the least-frail that they're gonna be from this day onwards. Tomorrow will strictly no better; next month will definitely be worse.
i think the only need we'd actually use exoskeletons for in real life would be construction or warehouse workers, just for back support and leg support for when we're lifting heavy things.
if someone makes a working exosuit, it will be Hacksmith Industries, which has already build a bionic arm that can help you with weight lifting
They've already happened they're just not practical for the average person or live combat scenarios. Same thing w jet packs. Eventually it could get there, but it'll require another decade of investment and development to really have a chance of being usable for average folks.
Keep it up bro, great content I was very excited for this Iron man suit but had doubts similar to yours and your efforts gave me clarity. And hey don't mind these idiots in the comment section arguing as we humans have a tendency to hold onto our mental reservations and emotions, they fantasized about it maybe and without a scientific back up.
sounds like just fundamental science progress issue, just making electricity packs more dense.
100% if taking that Lithium-Ion batteries are the ultimate portable source of energy and that the current technologies and materials are also at their physical limit. But none of these premises are true.
1) There are perspective battery types under development;
2) If batteries are still not good enough think of other forms of storing the energy like even gasoline which is orders of magnitude more energy dense than any type of battery.
3) Perspective less dense but as or more strong and flexible materials will reduce the energy consumption of an exosceleton.
Of corse it is also possible that by the time all these envisioned technologies merge into an exosceleton, the advances in artificial neural networks and microelectronics will make human physical labor and military service obsolete and all those technologies will in turn merge with those developed for exosceletons to produce more advanced robots (which architecture don't even have to resemble human anatomy)> But there will still remain a niche for the limited mobility people help, yet again, given that advanced prosthetics won't make exosceletons obsolete even for that application.
So I think there is still chance that exosceletons may become a thing one day but if so they may serve different purposes and/or may look and designed differently.
I'm tired of the military having such a huge budget just to start and almost immediately can projects like this all the time. Its more of a waste of tax payer's money than if the project finishes and its not quiiiiite as good as projected. Anything, even just lightening the load of a backpack would have been worth the budget.
Also, If the size of the power source is the issue, why not scale up the size of the entire unit? Seems unorthodox, sure, but I'm sure there is gotta be some kind of big electric car battery, combustion engine, gas turbine engine or better that has the operation hours and power for what is needed. We can scale it down for commercial use later gradually as technology improves, trying to keep the prototype small and compact will always be more expensive.
Honestly, I don't understand why exosuits/skeletons/armors are so often associated with batteries. Just because it develops force through electric motors doesn't mean it can't have a generator of some kind.
Gasoline and diesel are about ten times more energy dense and safer than lithium ion batteries. Don't like to fill your house with CO2? A hydrogen fuel cell's only residue is H2O, it is practically noiseless and it is about 90% more efficient than an internal combustion engine.
I guess "gasoline generator" doesn't sound hi-tech or sci-fi enough for many of those fake articles, and most people don't know about hydrogen fuel cells, so it's easier to advertise it as working thanks to TESLA HYPER ULTRA MAX BATTERIES tm. I guess we just aren't meant to have nice things...
"this didnt happen in 10 years so itll never happen"
Holy shit, you really arent so smart huh?
Anything can be made reality with the right minds and determination. What didn’t work in the past simply requires new avenues of thought to lead to innovative solutions
I have great stability i only need a little speed and electro punches with reaction time
We need biotech really to do this. If we could create synthetic muscles that use glucose and oxidation, your options would increase significantly. You'd be able to then create soft suits or hard suits supported by different types of muscles, supporters, thick lifters, endurance. Glucose is easy to make, can be chemically stored in stable forms and created with minimal equipment and a variety of resources. The use of Oxidative phosphorylation means you are drawing elements of chemical energy directly from your environment. Main problems to solve would be how to produce a minimal respiratory transfer to the muscles, ie how would you separate O2 from the air and then feed it to the muscles, preferably without a set of lung type organs. Also, waste disposal and muscle efficiency during high load use. Additionally the susceptibility to gas attacks. You could use dissolved O2 in the glucose solution, but then you'd be carrying your entire chemical load rather than cutting the weight down and the logisitics behind it would also suffer from the complexity.
There are entirely manual suits now but they are made for repetitive tasks and overhead work
This is why we need non powered exo skeletons
2 year later; Festool releases an exoskeleton for everyone to buy
Functional Combat Capable Power Armour Development Episode 5 Quest for Bullet Proof Exo Skeletons
Matt M
2.8K subscribers
I don’t think they’re saying the bottlenecks are so bad that they can’t develop them, they’re just saying they don’t want to
So what I get from this the only thing lacking is power supply.
The development is held back due limited power/time.
I'm pretty sure some questionable studies and new type power sources need to be developed before it's plausible for "exosuits" in combative states..
Besides... It seems that you're expecting waaaaaay too much as well...
I think they should be given to support gunners it would help carry extra ammunition and the lmg
I Honestly believe the only reason we don't got Power-armor or Exosuits. Is cause we are lacking a Powersource? No Powersource, No Suits. It's too bad we don't got existing small Nuclear Batteries.
"Will never happen" is something you should not say, its definitely gonna happen. Not just yet.
Tbh, DARPA or some other government agency already probably has batteries and what not under tests/final leg of research to suit these. They have a fuck ton of different programs going on at all times.
An "exoskeleton" does already exist it's just powered by springs mainly used for camera men to hold huge expensive cameras for long periods of time it has no electronic components but still gives u incredible strength
It doesn't increase your strength though.
@@christophegroulx7816 not with that attitude it doesn't
several spring style exo skeletons are already out. on top of that theres hal 3 from japan that fully works
I think they're going to be useful for support at least but in combat it's ridiculous can you imagine your soldier getting shots with a million dollar equipment
Let's say I make a spring-powered one, I have some ideas, let's see in about 10 years. Maybe I could make one, but definitely not widespread use.
Festools has built one for the construction industry and is currently producing them for the public. Unfortunately on the militaries end, it could be such a thing they got so far with it, blacklisted it, and told the public it was a dead end to eliminate questions.
No they published a report about it, it really was just completely impractical.
The idea of everything in an exosuit having to need a power source is bull.. is always possible to make something mechanical and not electrical
yo fallout has had power armor since the 90's homie
Once we figure out nuclear fusion we will have them.
They could be used for old people who are to weak to lift stuff or for construction workers. Basically you can lift stuff easily. They shouldn’t be used for war but instead used for construction or disabled people.