First Military Exoskeleton Reaches Prototype
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has completed the first prototype of an exoskeleton, Bleex 1, which will allow soldiers to carry 70 pounds of supplies on their backs (in addition to the 100 pounds Bleex weighs) while only feeing an extra five pounds of weight beyond their own. Carrying a quart of military standard JP-4 gas, hydraulics power the exoskeleton for 15 minutes of use where military vehicles can't traverse.
A new version is in development as the name Bleex 1 suggests. Dubbed Bleex 2, the newer version will allow soldiers to bear 200 pound loads, weigh half of Bleex 1, and permit those wearing it to move faster than 6 feet per second. Ultimately, a final version will employ a hybrid power source to increase its range.
Read the article. (MachineDesign.com)
DARPA Homepage.
Tetsujin Exoskeleton Project
Bleex (UC Berkeley)
The Rise Of The Body Bots (IEEE Spectrum)
December 28th, 2005 at 7:08 pm
Looks neat and fun, but not yet useful and a bit dangerous.
It needs to be fully enclosed and airconditioned.. And it needs a targetting system. Right now, shooting with a chemical protective mask makes it impossible to aim–you have to shoot from the hip.
When I was in the Army we already carried loads that heavy for extended periods.
What if you trip and land on your face?
December 28th, 2005 at 8:14 pm
very unpractical in combat unless that thing includes a f*ckin energy shield, good luck trying to move quickly with that thing on your back
December 28th, 2005 at 8:18 pm
Yet another person doing something that has been done for year, but since its technology, they need to create a neat resume filling name that basically means “I surf the net”.
well done.
December 28th, 2005 at 8:59 pm
The first tanks used in World War 1 weren’t all that great either, and it took real battlefield testing to perfect. Likewise, this first exoskeleton should be viewed as a stepping stone.
December 28th, 2005 at 9:26 pm
Duh. No wonder the tech sector is saturated with wannabes.
Nothing to see here, move along.
December 28th, 2005 at 11:20 pm
We reported on this ~18 months ago in SERVO Magazine when it was still in this prototypical phase. Presumably, Dr. Kazerooni has advanced well into the 2nd generation by now. This is very old news.
December 28th, 2005 at 11:27 pm
6 feet per second translates to ~14 minutes per mile. That’s pretty slow. I hope that exoskeleton is also a good set of balistic armor.
December 29th, 2005 at 12:44 am
That looks like a monkey humping a football.
The design is terrible, but it’s a place to start. Bleex XXV might actually be useful and not get you killed at the same time.
December 29th, 2005 at 1:05 am
This, like the DARPA challange will evolve quickly and moreso with each next step. Look at the strides made in DARPA Challenge II with Stanley. I believe the same will apply here. I see the first “real use” models as logistical aides like the exo-skeleton loaders from the movie ALIENS.
December 29th, 2005 at 1:44 am
I agree with Matthew. When I was training in we would have backpaks og 65pounds upwards, plus your semo/sefo (utility pouches with all the suplies necessary if you have to ditch your main pack), extra ammo and your weapon. And god help you if you got stuck carrying the GPMG as well.
Also if you’re going to be moving at 6 feet per second for only 15 minutes, you’ve only got a range of about a mile and would need to be better armoured than a tank!
December 29th, 2005 at 3:26 am
What’s the problem in carrying around 70lbs for 15 minutes without the exoskeleton? We used to walk over 25 kilometers (~15 miles) with 30 kg (~66lbs) on our back.
December 29th, 2005 at 4:32 am
What a fucking idiot… you slashdotted yourself on something that was already written about months ago. Go back to school kid.
December 29th, 2005 at 8:37 am
Anybody remember Robert A. Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers” (the real one, the book not the movie)? Seems like his “powered suits” for “grunts” are coming along nicely. Although I’m sure he wasn’t the only one with this “vision.”
December 29th, 2005 at 8:49 am
Our friend Jon probably doesn’t give two poops that he’s reporting old news. Fact is, we all came to his site. Now if he only knew he’d get more clicks on his google ads if he moved them to the left had side of the page, then he’d be in real business.
December 29th, 2005 at 9:55 am
Good going, another step in the right direction. Perfect utilization of resources which were snatched from poor people. kill, kill, kill…kill children, women and men. I hope it doesn’t make it difficult to pee on those you are about to kill.
December 29th, 2005 at 10:01 am
God bless America.
I hope they use it for saving people… lol?
December 29th, 2005 at 11:48 am
When do they start adding armor and weapons; that’s when this type of exoskeleton will pay off in dividends.
December 30th, 2005 at 2:31 pm
As a berkeley alum, I can’t sit by and let these arm chair types’ poo-pooing go unanswered:
1) To those drawing conclusions about the concept based on the tech mentioned here. What makes you think this thing is going into /combat/ anytime this decade or next? its called a ‘prototype’ for a reason! why are you trying to draw conclusions on its final application based on the first iteration ONLY?
2) To those who feel like spouting off anyway: at least look at what the application they are ACTUALLY designing for. This is not a combat exoskeleton, its a means to assist a person (soldier or not) to carry a heavy load across rough terrain. (like to get deploy to areas where wheeled vehicles are impractical. — To the first commentor – a better question is ‘why do you need an exoskeleton when you could just ride a donkey?’
3) To the macho guys who think this is useless because they used to be able to carry the same amount of weight on their back back when they were in the Corp: try to look at the bigger picture. Imagine how much faster/further you could walk if you WEREN’T carrying a pack? or imagine how much more gear you could carry if you had a means to assist you?
…This is why you guys aren’t DARPA project managers.
The tank analogy is a good one. I’m very curious to see what BLEEX2 looks like, the IEEE spectrum article leads us to believe its a giant leap ahead of the first version in the photo (that many of you small minded types are drawing conclusions on/poo-pooing)
PS – Kazerooni was a consultant on Aliens back in the day.
December 31st, 2005 at 5:07 am
Bleex fan, us “arm chair types” are not “poo – pooing” this technology, we’re simply pointing out a problem with bleex 1 as a military exoskeleton.
Sure this technology has great potential for the future, but I don’t see many actual MILITARY aplications for it besides turning a soldier into a mobile weapons platform.
Anywhere that heavy equipment or packs need to be brought into, that isn’t a combat zone will probably be best serviced by a helicopter, and soldiers won’t be carrying heavy equipment into an area unless it’s been secured. Now, obviously there ARE some areas that a helo couldn’t reach and other land vehicles couldn’t, so the suit will have applications then.
As for non military applications, there are certainly loads of situations where a this technology could be implemented and will be of major benefit.
We do “get” that this is a prototype, and that it will proabably take many iterations of the technology before it matures enough for actual deployment. But as I said above, we’re no “poo-pooing” it, simply pointing out a problem with the capabilites of the first prototype.
I think this technology will be great benefit once it matures.
Oh, nice tit-bit about Kazerooni!
December 31st, 2005 at 1:40 pm
i dont know why they create things to use in war , war should not even exist. its something that i dont understand why the goberment of the usa creates things like that , they should be doing things that help the humanity not to kill it.
January 1st, 2006 at 11:27 am
No military application? Imagine whole armies of men carrying missle racks on their backs in addition to whatever armaments they might be carrying and not even feeling the weight? Sounds pretty crazy to me! You probably only need to go a mile or two, blast that rack and dump it anyway.
January 1st, 2006 at 4:49 pm
Who said anything about this technology having “no miltary aplictaion”?
April 28th, 2006 at 2:28 pm
the exoskeleton is a fantastic idea. The only problem I see is that it is heavy and slow. they need to make it low in weight and fast, for stealthy work and hand to hand combat. it should also be black for night work so whoever is wearing it can be invisible to the naked eye.I also agree with Matthew it needs to be air conditioned. it gets realy hot out there with a tone of crap on your back.
April 28th, 2007 at 5:14 pm
I think of it as a little toy to show people that their money ain’t completely spent on rubish. The really cool devices won’t be made public for another 20-30 years
June 14th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
F*cking useless. The idea was taken from Alien or Matrix movies and it hasn’t practical military application. However, think what it could do in construction or other peaceful industries.
August 13th, 2007 at 6:35 am
Each leg has five electronic modules connected in a high-speed synchronous ring network or LAN. Each module is connected to nearby sensors and actuators, and all modules talk to each other, as well a controlling computer. A third ring network lets the design team debug the system and acquire data. Eventually, the third ring may support electronic and communication gear needed by the soldier (but not by the exoskeleton).
December 26th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Ok… This is old. Heinlien started the whole concept of powered armor in 1959? I think. Great, but since then, this has been the holy grail of military weapons systems. Steakley has furthered the idea into something that is allot more versitile.
Why? Because infantry wins wars. Applications? EVERYWHERE.
Imagine being able to take apart a tank by your barehands? Neat? Yeah, but lets think about other ideas such as the piggyback system that would control another seperate series of systems on the suit, increasing survivability by allowing the call for fire done by a separate enity altogether.
It carries more weight, but goes faster… That means better logistics and war is logistics.
This is the beginnings of a new warfare. Hell, recruiting alone when they unveil it will be worth it… Like the tank for the Britts…