Elon Musk Teases Iron Man Suit On Twitter

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Elon Musk Teases Iron Man Suit On Twitter

SpaceX founder meets with the Pentagon, but probably not about exoskeletons
By Xavier Harding posted Jun 9th, 2016 at 10:57am
Iron Man and War Machine

Marvel





Is Elon Musk Tony Stark?

Elon Musk meets with the Pentagon about building a flying mechanized suit. But not really.

It's no secret that Marvel's Iron Man was initially modeled after billionaire Renaissance man Elon Musk. The founder of PayPal and current CEO of SpaceX and Tesla Motors has many things in common with Tony Stark, including tons of money and immense influence. But if you follow him on Twitter, Musk would lead you to believe he has one more thing in common with Stark: his rocket-powered, missile-firing exoskeleton.

Musk made this joke after CNN speculated as to why Musk met with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Wednesday. It seems a lot more plausible that the head of SpaceX may have been going over his plans to launch an important military satellite into orbit. The $82.7 million deal would aim to bolster the global positioning system (GPS) used by both the government and consumers for more accurate location data.

CNN notes that the Pentagon is also on an innovation kick right now, meeting with tech leaders to get ideas and feedback. So who knows, maybe an Iron Man suit really did make it into the discussion.

Just this April, Space X successfully launched and landed its Falcon 9 rocket for the first time, and has accomplished the feat twice more since then. Being able to land a rocket coming from space on a platform in the middle of the choppy ocean serves as no easy feat. Maybe Musk is looking toward the future and considering turning the Falcon 9 into something wearable.

http://www.popsci.com/elon-musks-iron-man-suit

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Is a real-life Iron Man suit in the works ? Image Credit: CC BY-SA 2.0 William Tung
He might not be Tony Stark, but the SpaceX CEO is not entirely dissimilar to the comic book billionaire
Ever since Musk met with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Wednesday, speculation has been rife over exactly what the pair had been meeting about - especially after Musk himself later posted up a Tweet in relation to the mystery which read "Something about a flying metal suit...".

But is he really working with the Pentagon to build a real-life version of Tony Stark's famous flying exoskeleton or was his comment little more than a tongue-in-cheek reference ?

    Something about a flying metal suit...https://t.co/6Z1D9iZ1fV
    — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2016


Sadly, in this particular case, it is far more likely that Musk was only there to discuss his plans to launch a new military satellite designed to bolster GPS services.

That said however, with the Pentagon currently showing a renewed interest in innovation, it is not outside the realms of possibility that an Iron Man suit wasn't at least mentioned at some point.

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For soldiers and old folks, the Superflex exosuit may help carry the load
[Dyllan Furness]
Dyllan Furness
June 6, 2016




For soldiers and old folks, the Superflex exosuit may help carry the load
Superflex is a soft exoskeleton that fits snuggly over the wearer's body and carries much of the load from the legs, arms, and torso – helping soldiers, the elderly, and physically disabled people move with ease.

Emerging technologies are increasingly designed to help the elderly. Trials with care robots and artificial intelligence programs have shown positive results in tasks like helping elderly patients remember to take medication, and now, a wearable robotic device called Superflex may soon help geriatrics be more mobile, reports MIT Technology Review.

Developed by Superflex Inc. – a spin-off of SRI Ventures – Superflex is a soft exoskeleton that fits snuggly over the wearer’s body and carries much of the load from the legs, arms, and torso. The device can help the elderly walk, maintain good posture, and grab objects with care, but it isn’t strictly designed for senior citizens. Physically disabled people can find renewed strength by wearing an exoskeleton, as can soldiers who often have to carry tremendous loads.

Related: Hyundai’s heavy-lifting exoskeleton is more ‘Aliens’ than ‘Iron Man’

Though elderly citizens often use walkers to help them get around, they aren’t always good for morale. SRI Ventures president Manish Kothari told MIT Technology Review that a walker “completely disempowers, removes dignity, removes freedom, and causes a whole host of other psychological problems … Superflex’s goal is to remove all of those areas that cause psychological-type encumbrances and, ultimately, redignify the individual.”

Superflex won’t offer complete mobility like exoskeletons built by SuitX, Hyundai, and Harvard’s Wyss Institute. But the Superflex will offer built-in sensors that enable the suit to adapt to its wearer’s particular mode of movement, increasing the battery’s efficiency by offering assistance as additional energy is needed. The current prototype takes under five minutes to enter, Kothari told MIT Technology Review, but the commercial version will be designed to slip onto a user in about two minutes or less. These features reduce the Superflex’s size and may make it more practical than its counterparts.


https://www.yahoo.com/tech/soldiers-old-folks-superflex-exosuit-214444782.html

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New exosuit can offer superhuman strength
Posted on Tuesday, 7 June, 2016 |




A concept image of the suit from the company's official brochure. Image Credit: SRI International
A new robotic suit called Superflex is able to augment the wearer's strength and physical capabilities.
Unlike conventional exoskeletons, this new, more refined and lightweight option fits snug over the wearer's body and carries the majority of the load from the legs, arms and torso.

Designed to restore mobility to the disabled and elderly, the suit can be used to help lift objects as well as to carry out various other physical tasks that the wearer might otherwise struggle with.

It can even help able-bodied individuals lift heavier loads then they would otherwise manage.

The suit also contains sensors which enable it to conserve battery life by adapting to a particular wearer's movements and only offering assistance where it is actually needed.

The current prototype of the device takes around five minutes to put on but there are plans to reduce that to under two minutes by the time the final commercial version is ready.

When it will become available to purchase and how much it will cost however remains unclear.