Stress Testing Real-Life Robot Legs | WIRED

Robotic exoskeletons have captivated us for years. They are major tropes in sci-fi movies and video games, and in real-life engineers have been working on them since the 1900s. San Francisco's Roam Robotics has entered into this space, and Brent Rose tries his hand at stress testing their latest military leg brace.

Archival footage of GE robotic exoskeleton courtesy of miSci: Museum of Innovation & Science


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[thetruemorg]

"They're not ready for inside use" they're not ready for use inside of a quiet office but if you were in a warehouse where there is a constant noise 60 decibels is nothing.

[TraceurDoc]

Wearer does squat: Fawrt sounds
Everybody looks
Wearer: “I swear…it’s the actuator…see watch”
Wearer squats again: No sound

[Pwndbythnb]

If I heard that sound in combat coming towards me I'd be terrified

[RoxoCara]

Considering how mature the average army guy is, I can realistically see the soldiers wearing this being called "Fartmen"

[beyourself]

Photographers and cinematographers are gonna APPRECIATE this. Steadycam all day long.

[klekaelly]

I feel like this would be a really great thing for wildfire hotshots to have. Those guys have to clamber over mountains all day.

[jimou]

The sound of compression air make me feel like watch a sci fi movie trailers .

[airborngaming]

The future of war: As soldiers die in the field, remote operators link in and walk the exosuits back. Squads of dead lumber back to base or LZ, rinse and repeat.

[taigor]

while it will be surely used in the army, I really hope that the common people will be able to buy those. It would be great for older people who have weak knees or such

[chroma]

I want to see a powerlifter squat his PR then squat again with this exoskeleton, would really just be interesting to watch.

[thomasgreen]

Hey Wired, Keep this guy around. He's awesome. But his "Raw" squat actually made me uncomfortable watching it 😬

[mrmora]

Reminder, military grade doesn't always mean "best of the best" it usually means the cheapest option

[teggy]

Now they just need to integrate it with boots to protect the ankles and then a spinal bar to protect your lower back

[grocerygrip]

Is it me, or does the sound of the movement of this exoskeleton kinda terrifying, to the tune of Terminator Hunter-Killer chasing after me, 😂 or the sound of a hungry stomach growling at you?

[martincolvill]

I'm really interested in being a tester for this. I have two total knee replacements, and am in my mid 60s. At 6' 4" and 300 pounds I tire much faster than I did 35 years ago as a Police It would be interesting to experience if it truly helps older people with the chores one has to do that ordinarily we cannot do due to injuries or just being old.

Seriously, I'd love to be a part of ROAM'S team.

[athek]

This guy is so likeable. Genuinly had fun, watching his antics.

[foxygrandpa]

I know alot of people are gonna say "half reps"! But this dude's got a hurt knee and is just trying to test out the technology not build muscle.

[Psi]

I always see those "do not use elevator in case of fire" warning signs, but never thought about how firefighters, depending on the scenario, have to use the stairs while hauling all their heavy gear. Within reason, I think it could be argued that exoskeletons should be more widely available to firefighters across the country, especially if it makes their job easier in critical situations where time is of the essence.

[MicahPotts]

This guy is pretty entertaining! I like him.

[scottieapplseed]

This was one of the best Wired videos I've seen in a while; let's have more like this.