] 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. USATODAY.com - Robotic legs could produce an army of super troopers |