Chinese firefighters have been equipped with powered exoskeleton suits making them stronger than ever.
The idea for powered exoskeletons remained in video games for a long time, now exists in reality. For many years scientists and researchers kept working on these hardsuits that seem to be coming out of a sci-fi movie.
These suits are powered by a combination of electric motors, hydraulics, technologies for limb movement, and a computer system that plays the role of a brain for its functioning.
The powered exoskeleton suits are built by the “Human Function Enhancement Technology Research Center” in collaboration with CASIC and were later delivered to Chinese firefighters, who are now a lot more powerful in tackling difficult situations, and also making them a lot safer than wearing a conventional suit.
“This exoskeleton system will be applied to enhance a firefighter’s weight carrying capability to up to 50 kilograms, facilitating their movements in complicated environments such as mountain areas and the woods,” developers at the state-owned aerospace contractor China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp (CASIC) told Global Times.
The powered exoskeleton suit enables the firefighters to lift 110 pounds and that too effortlessly. A little astonishing is that it weighs a total of 11 pounds. Its developers made it lightweight by using a carbon fiber frame, which leaves the wearer with lesser exertion while effectively doing a set of tasks at a swifter pace.
With the new powered hard suit, the firefighters will carry heavy loads while walking and climbing, performing multiple tasks at once. It will also enable the fighters to retain half of their energy, as half of the force would be applied with the help of powered motors.
These futuristic electric suits come with various utilizations ranging from enabling the disabled to walk again to transforming humans to superheroes of the future; there’s literally no end to it. Exoskeletons are growing with the advancements in technology, where many different models are built around the world, with varying capabilities.
Firefighters in China needed this tech to fight forest and grassland fires, as it has been called out as a national emergency in recent times. Exoskeletons are becoming a widely used tool around the world. The ones delivered to Chinese firefighters will also be used as goods lifters in the mountains, where lifting heavyweight becomes difficult due to the lack of oxygen.
