Introduction
Exoskeletons. They used to be science fictional with the first reference of an exoskeleton in a movie dictates from 1919 it had been topic of a lot of movies and science fiction magazines. But nowadays the development, and use, of exoskeletons seem to be on the rise, because of the promising results of modern day research. An example is the use of exoskeletons in the Ford factory in Michigain. Workers at the factory are being aided by an exoskeleton to reduce the stress on their shoulders and arms. This is one of the first commercial uses of the exoskeleton.
Modern day use
It seems that companies and communities are seeing the value of an exoskeleton. People with severe spinal injuries are using exoskeletons to get help in their rehabilitation process by being able to walk earlier in their rehabilitation program. Also, elderly people, who are having trouble with walking, can use the exoskeleton for everyday activities so they can go outside. This gives them the opportunity to do their daily activities instead of staying indoors.
Limitations
It seems that the exoskeleton has a lot to offer human kind, but there are also a couple of downsides which need to be addressed:
First, the exoskeleton is an expensive device. The first generation of commercial exoskeletons, which are being used in rehabilitation processes, costing around $40,000. For now, exoskeletons are only available to people with enough money to pay for them and are not available for everyone.
Second, countries and their military are getting their hands on the exoskeleton technology. It won’t be long until we see warfare being done by super humans in exoskeletons. This may be a problem because, just like the invention of the atomic bomb, exoskeleton warfare could be a huge threat to national security.
Future use
I believe that the exoskeleton is one of the most promising devices of the future. Nowadays the skeleton only works if the wearer puts in a little muscular movement, it cannot be used by severely handicapped people who can’t move their muscles. I think this will change with the next generation of exoskeleton, in which the skeleton takes full control of the body and takes over all the functions of the muscles. So that someone can use the skeleton with solely thinking about moving his or her arm. This will be, in my opinion, the future of exoskeletons.
For now, I hope this technology will be put to good use in aiding society for the better.
Sources:
Dudenhoeffer, Larrie (2017). “An X-Ray into the Ecto-Prosthetic Superbody”. Anatomy of the Superhero Film. Springer. p. 234.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6153133/
https://constructible.trimble.com/construction-industry/exoskeletons-for-construction-workers-are-marching-on-site
https://www.businessinsider.com/hyundai-creates-iron-man-exoskeleton-photos-2016-5?international=true&r=US&IR=T#hyundai-went-so-far-to-compare-the-exoskeleton-to-the-iron-man-suit-because-it-wraps-around-the-body–becoming-one-with-the-wearer-5
