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News Flash 
Raytheon Sarcos Exoskeleton Robotic Suit Linked to Iron Man Superhero
Raytheon Company's
newest research facility in Salt Lake City, Utah,
is developing a robotic suit for the soldier of
tomorrow.
Known as an "Exoskeleton," it
is essentially a wearable robot that amplifies
its wearer's strength, endurance, and agility.
In its May issue, Popular Science magazine likens
the Exoskeleton to the "Iron
Man"® in the movie of the same name and
suggests a blurring of the lines between science
fiction and reality.
Man
Meets Machine: Exoskeleton test pilot
Rex Jameson greets XOS maker Steve Jacobsen |
Made of a combination of sensors, actuators and
controllers, the futuristic suit enables a test
engineer to easily carry a man on his back or lift
200 pounds several hundred times without tiring.
Yet, it is agile enough to play soccer and climb
stairs and ramps without issue.
The suit is being developed
for the U.S. Army. Dr. Stephen Jacobsen leads
Raytheon Sarcos and this project. He says his
work is a combination of art, science, engineering
and design. "People
call it different things. Sometimes they call it
inventing, sometimes they call it engineering.
Sometimes they call it being a mad scientist. To
us, it's the process of getting together, understanding
the problems, goals, and then designing something
to satisfy the need."
Development of the Exoskeleton has been underway
since 2000 when Jacobsen realized that if humans
could work alongside robots, they must also be
able to work inside robots.
Exoskeleton test engineer
Rex Jameson echoes his boss' enthusiasm for his
work. "As far as
software engineering goes, this job is about as
good as it gets. We get to write programs, and
we see them working on actual robots; that's very
exciting."
Jacobsen and his team
seek inspiration for their work from a wide variety
of disparate sources including popular culture.
Asked if he will see the "Iron
Man" movie when it is released May 2, he replied: "Yes,
sure. I go to see all those movies. We all do.
We all like them. They're fun. They stimulate your
imagination."
Raytheon Company, with 2007 sales of $21.3 billion,
is a technology leader specializing in defense,
homeland security and other government markets
throughout the world. With a history of innovation
spanning 86 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the
art electronics, mission systems integration and
other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects;
and command and control, communications and intelligence
systems, as well as a broad range of mission support
services. With headquarters in Waltham, Mass.,
Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide.
SOURCE:
Yahoo News
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