Free Republic

A radical powered exoskeleton under development for use by the US military is to be fitted with fuel-cell power supplies which will increase its endurance from hours to days - and furnish juice for the burgeoning load of electronics carried by modern soldiers, too. Global arms behemoth Lockheed, developing the Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC™) after buying the originating firm Berkely Bionics, announced this week that fuel-cell firm Protonex will "develop power supply concepts that will enable the HULC™ robotic exoskeleton to support 72+-hour extended missions". Here's a company promo vid about the HULC:

A new robotic exoskeleton developed by Lockheed Martin will help soldiers carry loads of up to 200 pounds for extended periods of time with minimal effort.

Berkeley Bionics™, formerly Berkeley ExoWorks, designs and manufactures lower extremity exoskeletons to augment human strength and endurance during locomotion. The exoskeleton is comprised of two powered anthropomorphic legs, a power unit, small on-board microcomputer, and a backpack-like frame on which a variety of heavy loads can be mounted. This system provides its pilot (i.e. its wearer) with the ability to carry significant loads (up to 150 pounds) on his/her back with minimal effort over any type of terrain for extended periods of time without reducing his/her agility. The pilot's physical effectiveness increases significantly since he/she does not feel the backpack...