] Move over Bionic Man and make room for BLEEX the
] Berkeley Lower Extremities Exoskeleton, with strap-on
] robotic legs designed to turn an ordinary human into a
] super strider.
]
] Ultimately intended to help people like soldiers or
] firefighters carry heavy loads for long distances, these
] boots are made for marching.
]
] "The design of this exoskeleton really benefits from
] human intellect and the strength of the machine," says
] Homayoon Kazerooni, who directs the Robotics and Human
] Engineering Laboratory at the University of
] California-Berkeley.
]
] The exoskeleton consists of a pair of mechanical metal
] leg braces that include a power unit and a backpack-like
] frame. The braces are attached to a modified pair of Army
] boots and are also connected, although less rigidly, to
] the user's legs.
]
] More than 40 sensors and hydraulic mechanisms function
] like a human nervous system, constantly calculating how
] to distribute the weight being borne and create a minimal
] load for the wearer.