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"  It looks like a Hollywood invention. But it&amp;#039;s not. Yoshiyuki Sankai, a professor at the University of Tsukuba in Japan, has developed a bodysuit that melds man and machine, letting its wearer lift anything from a couch to a building beam without much effort. He calls it Robot Suit HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb).  When worn, sensors on each limb detect the bioelectrical signals your brain sends when it wants to move a muscle. Then motors attached to the shoulders, elbows, knees, and waist move the joints, taking over much of the hard work from the muscles and enabling the wearer to carry hundreds of pounds.  Sankai envisions HAL aiding the elderly and disabled, or helping rescuers move large, heavy objects that usually require a crane. Recently he broke ground on a factory that will produce five hundred of his suits. The United States Army is working on its own version of a robosuit. Its exoskeleton prototype offers enough range of motion to climb stairs or play soccer, and enough strength to carry a soldier on your back. Even while playing soccer. RELATED STORIES:  May God Bless and Keep Robert Downey Jr. BEST + BRIGHTEST 2008: 27 More New Geniuses Whose Ideas Will Change the World!   "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a5328/robot-suit-exoskeleton-1208/>