I recently listed to a podcast on exoskeletons ("Stuff You Should Know"). As science minded as I am, I originally thought they were going to tell me how crustaceans and bugs made their hard skins, but exoskeletons also refers to the design of robotics to help human achievement. These are machines that a human would physically wear while doing work. DARPA recently asked for designs that will help soldiers carry heavier loads for longer periods, walk faster, and jump higher.
One area they are truly amazing is helping those with paralysis to walk again. Their muscles no longer respond to their central nervous system due to the severing of their spinal columns, but the robotics, acting as bones and muscle, can respond to other cues, such as leaning forward. Here's an article from the New York Times about their progress. Fascinating.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/technology/wearable-robots-that-can-help-people-walk-again.html
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