[Ethan.Allan]

So there's a company (Skeletonics Inc) making mechanical exoskeletons. Neat.

They don't sell them, but they if they did they estimate $50k each. And they haven't had any new developments since 2014. Ouch.

If the price were lower, how likely would you buy one? Or rather, what sort of effects could such piece of equipment have on the sports industry? Perhaps a cheap exoskeleton requiring physical ability could be the ticket to converting soyboys voluntarily back into masculine men.

I bring it up 'cause I know a guy making a similar product for an estimated price of $1.5k -estimated 600% profit on material costs, he claimed.

[SamuelBRoberts]

What is this good for? It's not like I can play contact sports with metal claws strapped to my body. If I tackle a guy he's gonna spend six months in the infirmary.

[Ethan.Allan]

(03-16-2018 10:27 PM)SamuelBRoberts Wrote:  

What is this good for? It's not like I can play contact sports with metal claws strapped to my body. If I tackle a guy he's gonna spend six months in the infirmary.

Precisely. These are not particularly ergonomic at the moment. You'd have to give it a pair of padded gloves at the very least. And a 45 kg metal framework does seem rather heavy.

To me an exoskeleton would add a bit more complication to a game, like the tension of on-the-fly repair work (NASCAR Pitcrew style?) or the viseral reaction of seeing one of the mechanical arms getting snapped off.

[Simeon_Strangelight]

Military applications will come for sure, but that will take some time still.

[RoastBeefCurtains4Me]

(03-19-2018 04:18 AM)Zelcorpion Wrote:  

Military applications will come for sure, but that will take some time still.

I think it would be interesting to have a mecha like this for sparring practice in various martial arts. Have it pull it's punches at a safe level, and have it fight with various levels of speed and skill, so a novice could get useful practice with it, and a more skilled fighter could also get useful practice.

There are plenty of sci fi moves that show this idea, like the 1984 version of Dune, or the Tom Cruise movie Edge of Tomorrow. I think the technology is just ready to make these practical.