Scientists at Royal Melbourne Hospital say that they have created a brain implant called the "stentrode" that acts like a bionic spine for paraplegics and quadriplegics.

Produced by Zach Wasser. Video courtesy of AuBC.

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Electronics giant Panasonic has created a robotic exoskeleton that gives the wearer superhuman strength.

Panasonic posted a video earlier this month showing three exoskeleton prototypes that can assist with heavy lifting.

Here's a closer look:

The Panasonic Assist Suit will reduce up to 33 pounds of lower back stress when lifting heavy objects.

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It has an Auto-Assist Mechanism feature that can automatically detect when you are about to pick something heavy up to reduce stress at the perfect moment.

Workers can get the suit on themselves by stepping into its leg holes and clipping it around their waist.

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Three years ago, my 91-year-old grandmother spent a couple of days in May attending my college graduation in scorching heat. 

On Tuesday, without a peep of complaint, she walked the five long avenue blocks from Radio City Music Hall to my apartment in midtown.

Then she rode the 4 train up to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, found her seat, watched the commencement ceremony, and rode the train back down to the restaurant where our family got lunch, before walking some more.

I gave her credit at the time, but it wasn't until a few days ago that I finally realized what an accomplishment it was.

I recently visited the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey to check out the Genworth Aging Experience, a new exhibit from Applied Minds that uses a high-tech exoskeleton to let people feel what life is like at 85 years old.

The idea behind the project, explains Bran Ferren, the company's co-founder, is to start a dialogue about the perils of aging, which largely go undiscussed.

In front of a crowd of two dozen kids and their parents, Ferren gives me tunnel vision. I'm wearing a special helmet and Oculus Rift virtual reality goggles, and the picture I see goes cloudy. I see his face, but the edges are gray. 

Next, he gives me macular degeneration — the cloudiness is now a big gray spot right in the middle of my vision. Already I'm grateful to be young and spry.

Ferren next makes my ears ring. "This is tinnitus," he tells the audience, and he dials up the volume so it becomes nearly deafening. To make matters worse, he introduces loud chatter as background noise, and I'm totally disoriented. I tell the audience I would never leave the house if this was what my life was like.

Then Ferren whipped out the big guns: speech impediments and physical disabilities. 

After setting the microphone in my helmet to a slight delay, so that everything I said hit my own ears slightly later, Ferren effectively gave me dysphasia. It's a condition that causes people's coherent thoughts to come out slurred and garbled. As I happily sang along to "Mary Had A Little Lamb," thinking all was fine, the audience's laughter told me otherwise.

"You might say, 'Oh, he's faking it!'" Ferren says. "Trust me, he's not."

The final test, a virtual walk on the beach, was by far the most eye-opening. As a pair of handlers led me onto the treadmill ("Big step, here we go") and I got to walking, the effect was immediate. I strained just to take a few steps. Ferren alerted the audience to my climbing heart rate, which had risen to 130 beats per minute. I was sweating, and according to Ferren, I'd only gone about five city blocks.

It hit me at that moment just how important an exhibit like the Genworth Aging Experience really is. For the first time in history, people 65 years and older now outnumber children 5 and younger around the world. Without a clear understanding of how the world's demographics are shifting,  we can't fully prepare for the change or appreciate its effects once it happens. Stepping into a suit that mimics the real thing might spur to action decades ahead of time.

Now I feel like I have a better sense of the experience of being elderly. It's not a perfect replication of what it's like, but it comes much closer — and delivers a much more visceral experience — than any statistics could. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a phone call to make and some very belated thanks to give.

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Spanish company Marsi Bionics has made a robotic exoskeleton for children. It is specifically designed to help children with spinal muscular atrophy. The suit even has built-in sensors allowing it to mimic human movement. 

Produced by Claudia Romeo

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The US Military is a few years away from releasing a robotic suit that can repel bullets, lift heavy objects, and provide lifesaving oxygen.

Known as the Tactical Light Operator Suit (Talos), the military has invested an estimated $80 million in the suit, according to Defense Tech. The suit is designed to better protect soldiers when they're in the field and is slated for completion in 2018, CNN reported.

The Talos military exoskeleton is just one example of the different abilities robotic suits can provide. Miguel Nicolelis, a neuroengineer at Duke, has developed exoskeletons enabling paraplegic people to walk again, though it's still in the research phase.

But the exoskeletons being developed by Nicolelis and the military are extreme examples of what robotic suits can do.

Hyundai is working on its own version of an exoskeleton that can allow someone to lift up to 110 pounds with ease and increase mobility for the elderly. Panasonic is also working on one that can reduce lower back stress for factory workers who constantly engage in heavy lifting.

Exoskeleton suits have a lot of potential, but they come with a hefty price tag. Although Hyundai hasn't disclosed the price of its suit, Panasonic has said its exoskeleton will cost roughly $8,000 when it rolls out.

But there's hope that exoskeletons could become more affordable for those looking to use them. The German Social Welfare court ruled that the exoskeleton suits developed by ReWalk Robotics are medically necessary and should be covered by insurance in August.

The "augmented self" is a big part of season two of Codebreaker, the podcast from Business Insider and Marketplace. Subscribe on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Or listen to episode 3 right here: 

SEE ALSO: A paraplegic man walked for the first time thanks to this technology

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This robotic suit gives workers super strength and it can allow people with mobility disorders to walk.

SuitX sells 5 different modular suits that reduce the workload of the user by taking the strain from your muscles.

The range of suits are available to buy on the company's website where prices start at around £2,500.

Produced by Leon Siciliano

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These exoskeletons are making the world easier to navigate: 

#1

You can literally take this seat anywhere. The Chairless Chair is a tool you can lean on. When locked, it can be rested on.

#2

Lowe's is giving its workers "Iron Man suits."It makes carrying heavy loads easier. Lowe's worked with Virginia Tech on the project.

#3

Ford assembly line workers are testing EksoVest. It helps reduce injury from repetitive tasks.

#4

This exoskeleton can help people with paraplegia walk. "Phoenix" was designed by suitX. suitX calls it "the world's lightest and most advanced exoskeleton."

#5

This robotic glove is helping some people with paralysis. The Exo-Glove is a wearable soft robot. The motion of your wrist controls the fingers. Users can lift and grasp things up to a pound.

#6

This suit gives you super strength. suitX makes 5 types of modular suits. They help reduce workloads of the user.

#7

Ekso exoskeletons can help people with paraplegia walk again. It's a robot that adds power to your hips and knees.

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ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — When engineers from the US Army Research Laboratory brainstormed on how to improve soldier lethality, the idea of a third arm seemed like something that might help.

Mechanical engineer Dan Baechle carefully planned out a device that doesn't need batteries, is lightweight and can evenly distribute the load of a heavy weapon.

"It can help stabilize the weapon and take the load off of their arms," he said. "It's made from composite materials to make it as light as possible, but also to ensure the range of motion that soldiers need."

The device, officially called the Third Arm, helps take the weight of the weapons off of a soldiers' arms. It weighs less than four pounds, and because of the innovative design, the weight of the device and the weapon are evenly distributed.

"We've actually tested it with the M249 and M240B machines guns. The M240B weighs 27 pounds, and we were able to show that you can take the weight of that weapon completely off of the Soldiers' arms," Baechle said.

Soldiers testing the device pointed out that initial versions didn't make it possible for them to use the device and go into the prone position. But that's not an issue with the current version.

At a recent test with a soldier at the Military Operations in Urban Terrain site at APG, a sergeant wore the device with an M-4 type weapon and dove into a prone fighting position from a sprint. The Third Arm provided immediate stabilization to improve marksmanship for the soldier.

"Right now it's a prototype device, and it's a fairly early stage prototype device," Baechle said. "It's been getting a lot of interest higher up in the Army, but also online with some of the stories that have come out. We're using some of the interest to help motivate further development of the device."

Baechle said that the Army modernization priorities include, "Soldier lethality that spans all fundamentals — shooting, moving, communicating, protecting and sustaining." Further documentation specifically mentions the fielding of "load-bearing exoskeletons."

"It falls in line with the direction that the Army wants to be heading in the future," Baechle said. "We get comments from soldiers who tell us different things about the way it feels on their body … about the way it redistributes the load. Some like it, some give us tips about the ways it could be improved, and we're using that input to improve the device and improve the design so that it not only works well, but it also feels good."

In 2017, the lab conducted a small pilot study of active-duty troops using Third Arm in live-fire trials. The results showed the device can improve marksmanship, reduce arm fatigue and muscle activation for some soldiers.

"We're using that small study to motivate a larger study this year with more soldiers taking a look at dynamics, shooting scenarios," Baechle said. "We're still refining the device. We're starting to look at heavier weapons."

Baechle stressed that what you see now may not be what gets to future soldiers.

"What we have right now is a very specific device, but we can learn from that device," he said. "I hope in the future what we'll end up with is something that will help the soldier. Whether or not it's in the form you see today, that's less important. Helping the soldier is what I really hope for. I think this year is really going to be a good one and an important one in showing what this device can do."

SEE ALSO: Marines took tanks out of secret caves to do military exercises near Russia's northern border for the first time

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NOW WATCH: The US spent $611 billion on its military in 2016 — more than the next 8 countries combined

WASHINGTON — The US Army is investing millions of dollars in experimental exoskeleton technology to make soldiers stronger and more resilient, in what experts say is part of a broader push into advanced gear to equip a new generation of "super-soldiers."

The technology is being developed by Lockheed Martin Corp. with a license from the Canada-based B-Temia, which first developed the exoskeletons to help people with mobility difficulties stemming from medical ailments like multiple sclerosis and severe osteoarthritis.

Worn over a pair of pants, the battery-operated exoskeleton uses a suite of sensors, artificial intelligence, and other technology to aid natural movements.

For the US military, the appeal of such technology is clear: Soldiers now deploy into war zones bogged down by heavy but critical gear like body armor, night-vision goggles, and advanced radios. Altogether, that can weigh anywhere from 90 to 140 pounds (40 to 64 kilograms), when the recommended limit is just 50 pounds.

"That means when people do show up to the fight, they're fatigued," said Paul Scharre at the Center for a New American Security, who helped lead a series of studies on exoskeletons and other advanced gear.

"The fundamental challenge we're facing with infantry troops is they're carrying too much weight."

Lockheed Martin on Thursday said it won a $6.9 million award from the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center to research and develop the exoskeleton, called ONYX, under a two-year, sole-source agreement.

Keith Maxwell, the exoskeleton technologies manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said people in his company's trials who wore the exoskeletons showed far more endurance.

"You get to the fight fresh," Maxwell said. "You're not worn out."

Maxwell, who demonstrated a prototype, said each exoskeleton was expected to cost in the tens of thousands of dollars. B-Temia's medically focused system, called Keeogo, is sold in Canada for about 39,000 Canadian dollars, or $30,000, the company spokeswoman Pamela Borges said.

The United States is not the only country looking at exoskeleton technology.

Samuel Bendett at the Center for Naval Analyses, a federally funded US research-and-development center, said Russia and China were also investing in exoskeleton technologies, "in parallel" to the US advances.

Russia, in particular, was working on several versions of exoskeletons, including one it tested recently in Syria, Bendett said. A video of a Russian version can be seen here.

The CNAS analysis of the exoskeleton was part of a larger look by the Washington-based think tank at next-generation technologies that can aid soldiers, from better helmets to shield them from blast injuries to the introduction of robotic "teammates" to help resupply them in war zones.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; editing by Peter Cooney)

SEE ALSO: These are the 25 most powerful militaries in the world in 2018

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NOW WATCH: These exoskeletons are making the world easier to navigate

• Marines will test a robotic exoskeleton suit that its designers say will allow one person to do work that would otherwise require between four and 10 people.
• The Corps wants to test unmanned and robotic systems as part of its goal to build a force that can operate across far-flung areas, and the company that builds the suit says it will allow smaller teams of Marines in those places to do more with less.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Marine Corps is moving ahead with plans to test a wearable robotic exoskeleton that conjures up images of that power-loader suit Ellen Ripley wore to take down a space monster in the movie "Aliens."

By the end of the year, the service will have a Guardian XO Alpha full-body robotic exoskeleton that allows one person to do the work of four to 10 people, depending on the task. The wearable suit can do hours of physical labor that would otherwise be impossible for a Marine to do alone, lifting and moving up to 200 pounds of gear repeatedly for eight hours straight.

The contract between the Marine Corps Logistics Innovation Office program and Sarcos Defense, a subsidiary of Sarcos Robotics, which creates the high-tech suit, was announced Tuesday.

"As the US Marine Corps focuses on logistics and sustainment modernization as one of their key priorities and looks to reduce the manpower required to conduct expeditionary operations, the Guardian XO is well-suited to fulfill a wide variety of logistics applications to address their needs and requirements," the announcement from Utah-based Sarcos Defense states.

A Sarcos representative declined to say how much each Guardian XO suit costs, saying only that the price tag is about the same as an employee who makes $52,000 annually, plus their taxes, benefits, supervision and other expenses.

A Guardian XO prototype was on display during the 2019 Modern Day Marine expo in Quantico, Virginia. Jim Miller, Sarcos Robotics' vice president of defense solutions, said the suit will fit Marines ranging from 5 feet, 4 inches tall to someone who's 6 feet, 6 inches.

The Guardian XO suit is perfect for logisticians who move heavy equipment or artillery.

"Instead of a team of four Marines, maybe you only need a Marine with this capability to offload pallets or move or load munitions," Miller said, adding that the company was inspired by science fiction when looking for ways to help troops carry out their duties.

Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger's planning guidance calls for Marines to test unmanned and robotic systems. Sarcos Defense's release says the Guardian XO Alpha will allow smaller teams of Marines dispatched to far-flung places to do more with less.

"The ultimate goal is to provide troops with an edge by boosting their capabilities and dramatically improving safety and productivity in a variety of logistics applications," the company said.

Ben Wolff, Sarcos Defense's chief executive officer, said the suit can also help the military cut down on injuries tied to heavy lifting.

The Air Force, Navy and US Special Operations Command are also working with the company on exoskeleton technology, Wolff added.

— Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

SEE ALSO: The Marine Corps' major redesign means big cuts — including to its working dog force

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NOW WATCH: These exoskeletons are making the world easier to navigate