Exoskeleton Suits: 26 Real-Life Examples

An exoskeleton suit is a wearable device that enhances a user’s strength and performance, allowing them to complete certain tasks or to rehabilitate their body. Examples of exoskeleton suits include assistive limbs for Parkinson’s patients and mechanical vests for warehouse workers.

What Is an Exoskeleton?

An exoskeleton is a wearable device that augments the abilities of a human user, giving them increased strength and mobility. While many exoskeletons feature mechanical frames, some are designed with softer materials.

The United States military first explored exoskeleton technology when General Electric developed the Hardiman exoskeleton in 1965. Since then, companies have produced exoskeletons for sectors like logistics, manufacturing, construction and agriculture, increasing humans’ abilities to squat, bend, walk and lift heavy objects. Exoskeletons’ capacity to augment human movements has also made them a key part of physical rehabilitation in healthcare settings.

In the coming years, exoskeleton suits may yield more than super strength: The industry is expected to soar from $68 million in 2014 to $7.3 billion by 2030, according to Lian Jye Su, research director at global technology intelligence firm ABI Research.

 

Types of Exoskeletons

While exoskeletons can vary based on materials and other traits, there are four main types of exoskeletons to know.

Powered Exoskeletons 

Powered exoskeletons use an electric cable or batteries to operate actuators, which generate movement and act as the “muscles” of the exoskeleton. They can be further divided into two categories: 

• Static exoskeletons need actuators to run continuously in order for them to function. 
• Dynamic exoskeletons don’t need actuators to run continuously, allowing them to conserve energy.   

Passive Exoskeletons 

Passive exoskeletons, which don’t require electrical power to operate, support users in completing actions without enhancing their abilities. A few tasks they’re useful for include: 

• Weight redistribution: A combination of springs and locking mechanisms redirect an object’s weight into the ground, making it easier to lift.
• Energy capture: Ankle spring-clutch exoskeletons store and convert energy, improving a user’s walking efficiency.
• Dampening: Some exoskeletons absorb shock and reduce vibration, transferring energy to facilitate a user’s movements. 
• Locking: Some exoskeletons lock in place, allowing a user to maintain a certain position without strain or fatigue.

Pseudo-Passive Exoskeletons

Pseudo-passive exoskeletons contain batteries or electric cables like a powered exoskeleton, but they don’t augment a user’s abilities. A common example of this is Ottobock’s C-Brace. This knee device uses electrical power to control a damper that can slow down a knee’s motion and lock when needed.

Hybrid Exoskeletons

Hybrid exoskeletons also possess the elements of a powered exoskeleton, including sensors and an electric power source. However, they initiate movements in a user through a technique called functional electrical stimulation (FES), which involves sending electrical signals to muscles and nerves to get them to contract.

 

Examples of Exoskeleton Suits

Military Exoskeletons 

Onyx Exoskeleton

Military and first responders are Lockheed Martin’s target market for Onyx Exoskeleton. Imagine charging up a hill carrying rounds of ammunition or climbing stairs with a hefty firehose. The Onyx Exoskeleton, which uses artificial intelligence, gathers movement data from users’ feet, knee and hip sensors and forwards it to a control module stationed on the waist which instructs the exoskeleton to move accordingly.

SABER Military Exoskeleton

In partnership with Vanderbilt University and the United States army, Interwoven Design has developed the Soldier Assistive Bionic Exosuit for Resupply (SABER). The suit consists of shoulder straps, elastic bands and thigh sleeves to alleviate muscle strain without limiting soldiers’ range of motion. After undergoing several years of research and development, the SABER was first deployed in 2023.

SuperFlex

The SuperFlex exosuit is a collaborative project between SRI and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Containing a system of actuators, the suit sends electrical pulses to initiate movements. In addition, SuperFlex uses performance algorithms and motion prediction technology to deliver these signals at the correct moment, so users can experience smoother, uninterrupted motions.

 

Rehabilitation Exoskeletons

Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL)

Cyberdyne’s Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) is used by patients who suffer from spinal cord injuries, cerebrovascular diseases, traumatic brain injuries and other neuromuscular diseases or injuries. Brain signals to the muscles are captured on sensors placed on the legs, which feed the information to HAL, which in turn helps the user move and walk with their legs by merely thinking of moving their legs.

HAL Lumbar Type for Labor Support

HAL can multi-task, serving as both a physical therapy exoskeleton and also one to aid healthcare workers, according to Cyberdyyne’s product page site. The battery-operated HAL Lumbar Type for Labor Support exoskeleton is designed to provide lumbar support when users are lifting and moving items or people, such as nurses moving patients, or seniors seeking physical therapy getting assistance when sitting down or standing up.

Hyundai Medical Exoskeleton (H-MEX) 

Automotive company Hyundai hit the accelerator on a new path, expanding into exoskeletons. In addition to developing exoskeletons for assembly line workers to aid them with their overhead work, the automaker also developed one to assist patients suffering from spinal cord injuries with its H-MEX. The device aims to help patients sit, stand, walk, navigate stairs and even run if needed, states the Exoskeleton Report.

EksoNR

FDA-approved EksoNR is an exoskeleton created by Ekso Bionics for neurological rehab patients that is used in healthcare rehabilitation centers. The suit is designed to help brain injury, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury patients, as well as stroke victims, regain their natural walking gait by re-teaching the brain and muscles how to walk.

Phoenix Medical Exoskeleton 

This lightweight Ottobock exoskeleton is designed to help people who have mobility disorders stand upright and gain mobility. Phoenix has two devices at the hip that prompt the machine to operate. Its knee joints provide support when users are standing and help them clear the ground as their leg swings forward.

Atalante X

Patients suffering from paralysis may be able to walk again with the aid of this self-balancing, hands-free exoskeleton, Wandercraft states on its website. Atalante X allows patients to stand and sit on their own and walk with assistance. It’s designed to be used as a rehabilitation tool following an accident or brain injury that causes paralysis.

Soft Robotic Exosuit 

Researchers from Harvard and Boston University teamed up to design a soft robotic exosuit that addresses freezing in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The term freezing refers to when Parkinson’s patients instantly become unable to walk, sometimes while in mid-stride. By giving patients’ hips a gentle boost during each step, this exoskeleton suit keeps patients in motion to prevent freezing and reduce the risk of injury as a result. 

REX

Patients can enjoy more stability during rehabilitation with Rex Bionics’ REX exoskeleton. REX is able to stand on its own, allowing patients to perform a range of strength resistance and trunk balance activities and reducing the strain put on therapists during these routines. In addition, REX is mobile and flexible, enabling patients to perform lower-body exercises like lunges, squats and leg swings.

 

Workplace Exoskeletons

Paexo Thumb

Even the lowly thumb needs a break if it’s put to daily rigorous tasks like frequently pushing buttons, using clippers or plugging in items on a spreadsheet. That’s where the world’s smallest exoskeleton comes in to protect the tip of the thumb and relieve strain on the joints in the hand. The Paexo Thumb is designed to cut 70 percent of the strain on the thumb joint by redirecting the pressure across your entire hand. Users also have more size options, thanks to a slim version of the product.

Mate Exoskeleton

Mate is designed by Comau to help production workers reduce upper body fatigue by supporting their shoulder movement. It has eight different levels of assistance that workers can quickly adjust. The lightweight device operates without a battery or motor, and its manufacturer says it can increase overhead task accuracy by 27 percent and execution speed by 10 percent.

Ekso EVO

Serving as an upgrade from the company’s EksoVest product, the Ekso EVO is an assistive exoskeleton vest that provides upper-body strength while being more lightweight and comfortable. The product is ideal for workers in manufacturing and other manual labor-heavy industries since it’s intended to reduce stress and fatigue on the arms and neck and lessen one’s risk of injury.

HAPO Exoskeleton

Back-breaking farmwork is nothing new, but throwing in technology to extend the life of farmers’ backs is relatively new. Farmers benefit from Exxovantage’s HAPO system, which is lightweight, batteryless and spring-loaded to ease the demands of repetitive tasks. The exoskeleton supports the upper body by partially transferring movement from the chest area to the thighs without compressing the spine and, as a result, reduces back strain.

Cray X

Cray X helps manufacturing plant workers reduce their fatigue and injury when lifting objects or carrying them with its X Exoskeleton, according to German Bionic. The device provides support for up to 66 pounds. The lightweight, waterproof exoskeleton uses AI, as well as an early warning system, to counter poor posture and harmful lifting practices before they occur due to fatigue.

EXO-01 Overhead Exoskeleton

Adding a new twist to the notion of steel girders in the construction industry, builders are putting on their own version of support when doing overhead work with the help of exoskeletons. The ultra-lightweight HA EXO-01 aims to reduce arm and shoulder muscle fatigue when doing overhead work for long periods of time, according to Hilti. It’s a battery-less device designed to support the arms and torso without restricting the range of motion.

Vest Exoskeleton (VEX)

Overhead work can be draining on the shoulders and neck. Vest Exoskeleton (VEX) aims to reduce the strain for industrial workers with this battery-free device. VEX imitates the way a shoulder joint operates and is designed to offer load support, mobility and adapt to the way a worker operates when handling overhead tasks, Hyundai said in its report.

Ottobock BackX

The Ottobock BackX exoskeleton provides back support to warehouse workers and helps take a load off of their shoulders when lifting or carrying items and transfers that weight to the user’s thighs, similar to a backpack. It provides up to 55 pounds of support and can tell the difference when bending or walking and can also automatically switch off when needed to provide full freedom of movement, the company noted on its website.

Guardian XO

Palladyne AI’s Guardian XO can be used in a warehouse setting, a manufacturing plant, a construction site or other types of operations that call for physically demanding strength. It is not a tactical military machine — it’s more of a logistics machine. The full-body, battery-operated exoskeleton uses sensors on the body to enhance the operator’s strength, allowing a user to lift up to 200 pounds without strain or fatigue.​

 

Fitness Exoskeletons

WIM

Walking and exercising become much easier with WiRobotics’ exoskeleton WIM. Consisting of a belt pack with foldable arms, WIM aids users in lifting their legs and can help users conserve 20 percent more energy while walking. While the exoskeleton can be applied to rehabilitative settings, it can also improve one’s walking in general and provide resistance training for more intense exercise.

ReWalk Personal 6.0 Exoskeleton

This consumer exoskeleton from Lifeward (formerly Rewalk Robotics) is designed for home use and when users are out and about in the community. It’s a light-weight exoskeleton, with motors at the hip and knee joints and propels a user forward as they lean into their next step, mimicking the natural movement of their steps.

DNYSIS X-1

Designed by the company dnsys, the DNSYS X-1 is set to go on sale in September 2024. The exosuit is made up of a belt attached to two thigh supports that strap around the knees and can generate torque, learn through AI and machine learning algorithms and adapt to different scenarios thanks to its 10-mode copilot feature. The DNSYS X-1 helps reduce strain during physical activities like hiking, sprinting and climbing. 

 

Sports and Entertainment Exoskeletons

Prosthesis

Exosapien Technologies’ Prosthesis stands more than 14 feet tall and is solely controlled by a human operator, electro-hydraulics and direct touch feedback, according to Prosthesis’ creator Jonathan Tippett on YouTube. Based on a user’s hand, arm, leg and feet movements, Prosthesis can run upwards of 20 miles per hour, powered by a lithium-ion battery. Tippett said he developed Prosthesis to launch a new sport of mechanical racing.

Skeletonics Arrive

Want to be bigger than life? Skeletonics will supersize you to nearly 10 feet tall and enable you to walk through a crowd of people like a proverbial giant. With a fusion of mechanics and electronics, the fingers are able to move with precision, as well as the legs. Kinetic energy moves Skeletonics instead of a battery or electricity.

Tiffen Exovest

Video camera apparatuses used in TV production also exhibit many characteristics of exoskeletons, according to the Exoskeleton Report. A prominent example of this is the Steadicam suite produced by the Tiffen Company. In particular, the Steadicam Fawcett Exovest uses an exoskeletal structure to redistribute the weight of a camera system, taking pressure off the shoulders and spine of the user while permitting free arm and shoulder movements.

Frequently Asked Questions