Hercule Exoskeleton Sets the bar for Human Assistance Devices
Okay, so we’ve had exoskeletons for years, devices letting humans carry heavy weights and walk under the load with ease. But until now they all had incredibly short battery lives, so most stayed tethered. Basically, they were great tech demos, but not good for much more.
A new exoskeleton, called Hercule, doesn’t have this problem. It can help someone (for example, a soldier) carry 220 pounds (99 Kilograms) for up to 12.4 miles, at a ordinary walking speed. And the motion is completely driven by your leg, so it feels like you’re walking as usual.
The Hercule is light, weighing just 50 pounds. It was designed by Ekso Bionics, previously Berkeley Bionics, and based on their previous tech to help the disabled walk. Apparently they realized that they’ll get more funding from the military than from the disabled, however, because the Hercule is aimed squarely at soldiers, who have to deal with massive, heavy packs.
Right now the legs only help the wearer carry weights, not lift them. It is much simpler to be battery efficient when you are purely dealing with the swinging motion than when you have to strain to lift something heavy. But RB3D, another firm Bionics is still trying to implement a lifting mechanism that fits on the arms.
You can watch the video below.
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