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SALT LAKE CITY -- "Iron Man" just got one step closer to becoming a reality. The XOS-2, the second generation of exoskeletons developed by Salt Lake City-based Raytheon-Sarcos, showed its stuff Monday.
XOS 2 is lighter, stronger and faster than its predecessor, yet it uses 50 percent less power, and its new design makes it more resistant to the environment. -Raytheon
The 195 pound robotic suit is designed to assist deployed soldiers by amplifying the user's strength, endurance and agility. It works through a combination of sensors, actuators and controllers that enable users to lift 200 pounds, several hundred times, without even getting tired.
XOS-2 is also agile enough to allow users to kick a ball, punch a speed bag or easily climb a flight of stairs.
Actor Clark Gregg, who plays Agent Phil Coulson in the "Iron Man" movies, got 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.
Developers are working to cut the high-tech suit's power consumption by another 30 percent before moving it into production. They expect the exoskeleton could be in the field in as little as five years.
