Fuel Cell Powered Exoskeleton

Fuel cell powered exoskeleton allows loads of up to 200 lbs for extended periods of time and over all terrains

A radical powered exoskeleton under development for use by the US military will be fitted with fuel-cell power supplies which will increase its endurance from hours to days - and furnish juice for the burgeoning load of electronics carried by modern soldiers.

Lockheed developed the Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC™) after buying exoskeleton developer Berkely Bionics. Fuel-cell firm Protonex will "develop power supply concepts that will enable the HULC™ robotic exoskeleton to support 72 hour extended missions."

The HULC powered suit currently runs on li-ion batteries. Though it allows a soldier to march easily with a load of 200lb, it normally runs flat after just a few hours - significantly less if any jogging or running is done.

But Lockheed believe that a fuel cell powered version could go for days on one fill of juice. Even better, it would offer power sockets for all the wearer's other electronics, meaning that spare - or even, perhaps, primary - batteries could be left behind.

The Register

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