China's robot exoskeleton turns firefighters into 'Iron Man'

Chen Jian, the leading developer, wears the EXOP-1, a robot exoskeleton suit. [Photo: cz001.com.cn]

Staff help Chen to wear the robot exoskeleton suit.[Photo: cz001.com.cn]

(ECNS) -- Strapped into a robot exoskeleton, a paraplegic Brazilian teen made history by standing upright to kick a soccer ball for the World Cup opening ceremonies. China has also recently made headway with the cutting-edge technology.

The EXOP-1, a robot exoskeleton suit invented by the Institute of Advanced Manufacturing in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, has been undergoing tests, a local news website reported Thursday.

Unlike the suit at the World Cup ceremony, which allows people with lower-body paralysis to walk upright again, the EXOP-1 aims to enhance the existing strengths of normal people.

The suit has the same bone structure as a human's lower half, with three motors in each leg of the exoskeleton, corresponding to the hip, knee and ankle joints.

The suit is designed to reduce stress on the leg and back muscles, and comes with a device that allows users to safely lift heavy loads with the strength of two or more men.

When a wearer intends to raise a leg, the signal reaches the robot exoskeleton's control unit through a sensor in the user's shoes. And the design can divert up to 70 kg of weight through its motor-powered legs while allowing the user to move freely.

Made of aviation aluminum, the suit weighs 20 kg and cost 300,000 yuan ($48,171), said Chen Jian, the leading developer at the institute.

Such exoskeletons are expected to become common sights in firefighting, climbing and disaster relief, he said.

Samples will be available by the end of this month, and many fire departments intend to place orders, Chen added.

But there are hurdles. Finding batteries powerful enough to fuel the exoskeleton's motorized joints remains a key stumbling block, experts say.