Imagine wearing high-tech body amour that makes you super strong and tireless. Such technology, more specifically called an exoskeleton, sounds like the preserve of the Iron Man.

Yet the equipment is increasingly being worn in real life around the world. One manufacturer — California’s SuitX — expects it to go mainstream.

“There is no doubt in my mind that these devices will eventually be sold at hardware stores,” says SuitX’s founder Homayoon Kazerooni.

In simple terms, an exoskeleton is an external device that supports, covers and protects its user, giving greater levels of strength and endurance.

Sometimes also referred to as “wearable robots,” they can be battery-powered and computer-operated, incorporating motors and hydraulics. Or they can be simpler, passive designs that use springs and dampeners.

“Integrating humans and machines into one system opens up a new realm of opportunity,” says Adrian Spragg, an expert on the technology at management consultancy Accenture. “Many of the early applications have been focused on military and medical applications, but in the last several years there’s been an explosion of use in a range of cases.”

This expansion, which has come together with rapid advances in the technology, has seen exoskeletons increasingly used by manufacturing workers. Versions for consumers are also now being developed to help people more easily do everything from DIY, to walking, climbing stairs, and other daily activities.

One report says sales are now due to rocket as a result. Global exoskeleton revenues are expected to rise from US$392 million in 2020 to US$6.8 billion in 2030, according to a study by ABI Research.

SuitX’s “suits” are now being tested by car manufacturers General Motors and Fiat. Kazerooni, who is also the director of the University of California’s Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory, says that the primary benefit of the firm’s exoskeletons is to prevent muscle fatigue.

General Motors is also looking at a battery-powered exoskeleton glove developed by Bioservo.

The most advanced exoskeletons use artificial intelligence (AI) computer systems — software that can to a certain extent learn and adapt by itself.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【保留项目】 bǎoliú xiàngmù preserve an activity that only one person or a particular type of person does or is responsible for

【外骨骼】wàigǔgé exoskeleton an external device that supports, covers and protects its user

想象自己穿上高科技人体铠甲，变得超级强大、不知疲倦。这种技术的学名为外骨骼，听起来就像钢铁侠的专属装备。

在现实生活中，全球各地使用这种铠甲的人越来越多。美国加州的外骨骼制造商SuitX公司期待这种产品会成为主流。

SuitX公司的创始人霍马永•卡泽鲁尼说：“我认为这种设备最终必然会在五金店销售。”

简而言之，外骨骼就是支撑、遮盖和保护使用者的外部设备，为其提供更高水平的力量和耐力。

外骨骼有时也被称为“可穿戴机器人”，有的靠电池供电、电脑操作，包含发动机和液压装置，也有比较简单的运用弹簧和减震器的被动式设计。管理咨询公司埃森哲的外骨骼技术专家阿德里安•斯普拉格说：

“将人类和机器融为一体打开了一个充满机遇的新领域。许多早期应用主要集中在军事和医疗领域，但是过去几年，多个领域的使用量剧增。”

与此同时，伴随着技术的快速发展，制造工人越来越多地使用外骨骼。厂商现在也研发出了消费者版外骨骼，来帮助人们更容易地从事DIY、走路、爬楼梯和其他日常活动。

一份报告称，外骨骼的销量会因此飙升。ABI Research的调查指出，全球外骨骼收入有望从2020年的3.92亿美元增至2030年的68亿美元。

SuitX的“铁甲”目前正在接受汽车制造商通用公司和菲亚特公司的测试。加州大学伯克利分校机器人与人体工程实验室的主任卡泽鲁尼表示，该公司外骨骼产品的主要功用就是防止肌肉疲劳。

通用汽车公司同时也在测试Bioservo公司研发的一款靠电池供电的外骨骼手套。最先进的外骨骼产品使用人工智能电脑系统，智能软件可以让外骨骼在某种程度上自主学习和适应。(chinadaily.com.cn)