20 Ironman Suit Exoskeleton Makers

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1. Ekso Bionics




Ekso Bionics was founded in Berkeley, California in 2005. Since inception Ekso Bionics has forged partnerships with world-class institutions like UC Berkeley, received research grants from the Department of Defense and licensed technology to the Lockheed Martin Corporation. Today Ekso Bionics continues to pioneer the field of exoskeletons, designing and creating some of the most forward-thinking and innovative solutions for people looking to augment human mobility and capability.

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2. Daqri



DAQRI is the leading augmented reality/4D company focused on transforming the Future of Work.   It delivers the most innovative hardware and software that is bridging the gap between potential and experience.  DAQRI works with the world’s largest and most respected companies to enhance human abilities by seamlessly connecting people to their environments and providing relevant information instantaneously. The DAQRI SmartHelmet and 4D Studio authoring platform deliver cutting-edge enterprise solutions in industrial, manufacturing, oil & gas, aerospace, and more.  DAQRI is headquartered in Los Angeles with an R&D; facility in Sunnyvale, CA.

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3. ReWalk



Rewalk is an Israeli start-up, received FDA approval in June for their exoskeleton to aid movement for people with lower body paralysis and last week the WSJ reported that the company plans to raise up to $57.5 million from an IPO. It has partnered with Yaskawa and others involved in the distribution of rehabilitation devices.

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4. Cyberdyne HAL



Cyberdyne  is a venture firm which is established by Dr. Yoshiyuki Sankai, University of Tsukuba, Japan, in order to materialize his idea to utilize Robot Suit HAL for the benefits of humankind in the field of medicine, caregiving, welfare, labor, heavy works, entertainment and so on. Robot Suit HAL was developed with the technologies created in Sankai Laboratory of Tsukuba University as an application of “Cybernetics” advocated by Prof. Sankai.

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5. ActiveLink



ActiveLink a subsidiary of Panasonic. Its device is among a small but growing number of exoskeletons available commercially—less fantastic and more cumbersome versions of a technology that’s been a staple of science fiction for some time. Though they have mainly been tested in medical and military settings, the technology is starting to move beyond these use niches, and it could make a difference for many manual laborers, especially as the workforce ages.

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6. FORTIS by Lockheed Martin



FORTIS exoskeleton transfers loads through the exoskeleton to the ground in standing or kneeling positions and allows operators to use heavy tools as if they were weightless. An advanced ergonomic design moves naturally with the body and adapts to different body types and heights. Using various mechanical arms, operators can effortlessly hold heavy hand tools, increasing productivity by reducing muscle fatigue.

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7. Percro Body Extender



The Percro Body Extender can lift up to 110 pounds in each hand and can exert 10x the force the user applies. Percro says it can be used for heavy aircraft manufacturing or for aiding rescue missions of victims of earthquakes and other disasters.

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8. HULC



The HULC is a completely un-tethered, hydraulic-powered anthropomorphic exoskeleton that provides users with the ability to carry loads of up to 200 pounds for extended periods of time and over all terrains. Its flexible design allows for deep squats, crawls and upper-body lifting.

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9) Nuytco Exosuit



Developed and built in North Vancouver by Nuytco Research Ltd, this hard metal dive suit allows divers to operate safely down to a depth of 1000 feet and yet still have exceptional dexterity and flexibility to perform delicate work. The amazing technology of the EXOSUIT atmospheric diving system (ADS) maintains a cabin pressure of the surface and still allows the suit to bend due to a unique rotary joint invented by Phil Nuytten.

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10. DARPA Soft Exosuit



The device, the Soft Exosuit, is intended to be worn comfortably under clothing and could enable soldiers to walk longer distances, keep fatigue at bay, and minimize the risk of injury when carrying heavy loads. Alternative versions of the suit could eventually assist those with limited mobility as well. DARPA's Warrior Web program seeks to develop technologies to prevent and reduce musculoskeletal injuries for military personnel, but the same technologies could also have civilian applications. A reduction in such injuries could reduce long-term healthcare costs and enhance quality of life for wearers of the suit.

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11. Titan Arm



The Titan Arm is a Cornell Cup winning upper-body exoskeleton that was created by students of the University of Pennsylvania for use in the fields of rehabilitation and therapeutic application. The arm can lift 40 pounds in addition to what the wearer’s real arm can lift and is powered by a battery pack attached to the backpack. It was also nominated for 2015 Edison awards.

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12) Daewoo Exoskeleton




As one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, the company is investigating ways to make its workflow more productive. But after researching the use of such robo-suits on the job and found them to be helpful, the company is now working on improving its prototype model so that the suits might soon see regular use on the job.
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13. 4MM



The running jetpack titled 4MM (Four Minute Mile) is being developed by Arizona State University with funding from DARPA to allow soldiers to run a four minute mile even with heavy equipment. Tests so far have shown that the wearer can run quicker while carrying more weight with less metabolic cost.

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14. WREX



The WREX, Wilmington Robotic EXoskeleton, was designed at A. I. DuPont Hospital for Children.It is a state-of-the-art, light weight exoskeleton with two links and four degrees of motion that approximates normal human anatomy. It incorporates elastic band elevation assists for both the shoulder and elbow to totally eliminate gravity influence on the extremity. The unique design of the shoulder and elbow joints allow for a significant improvement in the available range of motion when compared to other assistive devices.

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15. The Walk Again Project



The opening of the 2014 FIFA Soccer World Cup in Brazil saw Juliano Pinto, who is paralysed from the waist down, kick the World Cup ball using an exoskeleton connected to the neurons in his brain. Developed by Duke University, the exoskeleton is part of the ‘Walk Again Project’ and was created by a team of 150 and led by neuroscientist and leading figure in brain-machine interfaces, Dr Miguel Nicolelis. In short, Mr Pinto just had to think about kicking the ball which registered the brain activity to activate the exoskeleton to move.

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16) Raytheon XOS 2



XOS 2 is a second-generation robotics suit being developed by Raytheon for the US Army. The company publicly demonstrated the capabilities of the exoskeleton for the first time at its research facility in Salt Lake City in Utah. The wearable robotic suit increases the human strength, agility and endurance capabilities of the soldier inside it. The XOS 2 uses high-pressure hydraulics to allow the wearer to lift heavy objects at a ratio of 17:1 (actual weight to perceived weight). This allows repeated lifting of the load without exhaustion or injury.

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17. Honda Walking Assist



The Honda Experimental Walking Assist Device is a robot exoskeleton for the legs, designed to reduce the strain of walking for the elderly and those with mobility problems. Essentially a chair with legs, the Honda exoskeleton allows users to sit down in a saddle-like seat and strap their feet into two shoes attached to artificial limbs. The seat supports a portion of the wearer's body weight, reducing the strain to joints in the knees, ankles and hips. While the device is expected to improve mobility, running a marathon in one probably isn't a good idea, since the lithium ion battery (a more powerful version of the cell phone battery) lasts roughly two hours at a pace of 2.8 miles per hour.

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18. MIT Exoskeleton



Researchers at MIT have developed a leg exoskeleton capable of carrying an 80-pound load without the use of motors. According to its developers, the prototype can support 80 percent of this weight while using less than one-thousandth of a percent of the power used by its motorized equivalents.The aim of developing leg exoskeletons is to make it easier for people to carry heavy loads, says Hugh Herr, director of the Biomechatronics Group at MIT and leader of the research. By designing mechanical structures that transfer much of the load directly to the ground, rather than via the walker’s legs, it should be possible to enable soldiers and firefighters to carry heavier loads while reducing the risk of injury and the amount of metabolic effort they expend in doing so.

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19) Yamaha Exoskeleton



The Exoskeleton is powered by ultra-capacitors and doped nano-phoshpate batteries (similar to the ones currently used in hybrid cars) and it is controlled using 36 pneumatic muscles with two linear actuators set along a spine consisting of seven artificial vertebrae. Even the helmet is pneumatically attached.

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20. NASA Exoskeleton




X1 Robotic Exoskeleton for resistive exercise, rehabilitation and mobility augmentation.