Exoskeletons Around the World - Pictorial

BIONIC BODY: HAL-5, developed at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, is a powered robotic suit that can help elderly and disabled people walk and carry things.

Photo: University of Tsukuba

MASTER CONTROL: Researchers at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, in Seoul, created an exoskeleton master arm that can control a humanoid robot's arms.

Photo: Korea Institute of Science and Technology

HAND EXERCISER: An arm exoskeleton developed by a group at the University of Salford, in Manchester, England, helps users in rehabilitation exercises.

Photo: University of Salford

AIR POWER: A pneumatic exoskeleton developed at the Kanagawa Institute of Technology, in Atsugi, Japan, allows Akiko Michihisa, a fitness trainer, to hold a 20-kilogram barbell without getting tired.

Photo: Kanagawa Institute of Technology

VIRTUAL TOUCH: L-EXOS, developed at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, in Pisa, Italy, is an arm and hand exoskeleton that can be used for human interaction with virtual environments.

Photo: Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna

METAL MUSCLES: Carlos Owens of Wasilla, Alaska, built Mecha, a 5.5-meter-tall, 1360-kilogram exoskeleton, in his backyard with US $25 000 of his own money.

Photo: Carlos Owens

FULL-ARM EXO: Jacob Rosen, a professor at the University of Washington, in Seattle, demonstrates a full-arm exoskeleton designed to help people suffering from various neurological disabilities.

Photo: University of Washington

ROBOTIC MOTION: A group at Saga University, in Saga City, Japan, developed an upper-limb exoskeleton that translates neuromuscular signals into robotic motion.

Photo: Saga University

POWERED LEGS: Robotics company Sarcos Research Corp., in Salt Lake City, built a lower-body exoskeleton to help soldiers carry heavier loads.

Photo: Sarcos Research Corp.