We are all X-Men: The Rise of the Exosuit

FRONTLINE gaming is showing us the future of combat with a full suite of features including sci fi exosuits, intelligent grenades and drones everywhere. But what is the reality?

The US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) say that they may have a fully deployable exosuit in just two years paving the way for increased payloads, longer duration missions and the capacity to augment it with a suite of enhanced add ons previously considered too heavy for a soldier to carry in normal conditions. 

Other benefits of the exosuit would mean that the load stress service personnel can be exposed to would be cut by 25% preventing injury and even helping wounded service personnel in their recovery.

It is safe to say though that the exosuits won't be anything like the ones in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, sadly, and most soldiers will still be asking about the batteries required to power them. 

Many Defence companies are looking at the exosuit in different ways and many are focussing on out of combat roles as far away from the frontline as possible. Navy shipwrights could use them to cope with the heavy machinery and punishing routine of building giant, floating fortresses.

Engineers across many different disciplines could expect the suit to reduce strain and improve the quality of their work. Rescue workers could use them to clear debris, cut people from cars more effectively and the opportunity for medical applications directed towards people with reduced mobility are only just in the process of being realised.

The advent of non-powered systems that harness clever design, lightweight superstrong materials and precision engineering to deliver some of the benefits of their powered cousins are still some way off but expect to see the first wave of deployable exosuits hitting the market in the next 2-5 years.