SALT LAKE CITY — A high-tech robotic suit similar to those featured in the "Iron Man" movies just got one step closer to becoming a reality.
Say hello to XOS-2, the second-generation of exoskeletons developed by Salt Lake-based Raytheon-Sarcos.
The robotic suit is designed to assist deployed soldiers by amplifying the user's strength, endurance and agility.
A combination of sensors, actuators and controllers enable users to lift 200 pounds several hundred times without getting tired. Developers say the XOS-2 is also agile enough to allow users to kick a ball, punch a speed bag, or easily climb a flight of stairs.
Raytheon-Sarcos, a defense and aerospace systems supplier, revealed its XOS-2 suit just before "Iron Man 2" is released on DVD this Wednesday.
Actor Clark Gregg, who plays agent Phil Coulson in the "Iron Man" movies, was recently invited to the research facility in Salt Lake City to try the suit on and see it in action.
"I think what appeals to a lot of people about Iron Man is that it feels within reach, a lot of the stuff that he is doing and is capable of. And to see that it's this close," Coulson said.
But before the exoskeleton is ready for actual use, developers still need to cut power consumption by another 30 percent, said Fraser Smith, vice president of operations at Raytheon-Sarcos.
Smith said the first target for production is a tethered version of the suit, which allows the exoskeleton to be used in a confined area while plugged in to a power supply. That model could be in the field in as few as five years. A more mobile version is expected to take an additional three years of development before it sees production, Smith said.
And how long until it can fly?
"We feel airplanes do a really good job, so this hasn't really surfaced as a need," Smith said.
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