Powered Exoskeleton - in Fiction

In Fiction

Powered armor has appeared in a wide variety of fiction, beginning with E. E. Smith's Lensman series in 1937. Since then, it has featured in science fiction movies and literature, comic books, video games, and tabletop role-playing games. One of the most famous early versions was Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 novel Starship Troopers, which can be seen as spawning the entire sub-genre concept of military "powered armor."

In addition to heightened strength and protection provided by the exoskeleton, other popular features include internal life support for hostile environments, protection from environmental hazards such as radiation and vacuum, weapons targeting systems, firearms affixed directly to the suit itself, and transportation mechanisms that allow the wearer to fly, make giant leaps, or speed by on ground.

In some portrayals of powered armor, the suit is not much larger than a human. These depictions can be described as a battlesuit with mechanical and electronic mechanisms designed to augment the wearer's abilities. Other power armors are portrayed as being much larger, more like a bipedal vehicle the size of a tank or much larger. These latter are frequently termed Mecha, from the Japanese “メカ” (meka), an adaptation of the English “mechanical”. The line between mecha and power armor is necessarily vague. The usual distinction is that powered armor is form-fitting and worn; mecha have cockpits and are driven, or that powered exoskeletons augment the user's natural abilities, whilst mechas replace them entirely. However, the line between the two can be difficult to determine at times, especially considering that force feedback systems are often included for delicate maneuvers. Even in a larger mecha meant to be driven like a walking tank rather than worn, a realistic control system would have to be either cybernetic or form-fitting: In the BattleTech universe, a cybernetic system is necessary to provide a sense of balance.

Another variation is Bio-Armour, which produces similar strength with organic technology (e.g. Peter F. Hamilton's novel Fallen Dragon, Jim Shooter's X-O Manowar comic book, and the Bio Booster Armor Guyver Japanese manga series). Another example is the Nanosuit worn by Prophet and Alcatraz in the Crysis series, which augments the wearer's speed, strength and stealth, but does not look like traditional powered armor and is powered by advanced nanotechnology.

Most fictional power armors carry an on board, self-sufficient power source. Masamune Shirow's Landmates in Appleseed used simple internal combustion engines installed into the thigh assembly of the armor. The "hardsuits" of Bubblegum Crisis 2040 have a battery the size of an American football between their shoulderblades, though the underlying technology is never described. More fantastic power sources have been introduced, for example, in the Halo series the Master Chief's MJOLNIR armor is powered by miniaturized fusion power reactors. The Power Armor in the Fallout series, which is usually worn by the Brotherhood of Steel, a techno-religious group, is also described as being fueled by fusion power cells. In Privateer Press' Iron Kingdoms setting, a steam boiler powers pneumatics, which ultimately power the suit through triggers the wearer operates with his limbs. Similarly, in Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, the suits are powered by single-celled organisms cultured in Ovo Packs while in the "Metroid" series Samus Aran's armour is alien in design and origin and unknown as to how it functions. The HEV suit in the Half-Life series contains small, portable armor batteries to charge up the suit. The Nanosuits from the Crysis series are designed with nano systems. They are powered with fusion energy batteries that almost instantly recharge after drainage and various other systems that collect usable energy from other sources like the sun and ambient radiation.

Super-powered armor suits (super-suits) also appear in fiction. Super-suits have fantastic abilities and powers and are generally unique or very rare compared to "basic" powered armor (for example, Booster Gold's suit which does not even look like powered armor). Super-suits tend to be used in settings with superheroes, such as Iron Man.

Many variations of exoskeletons can be found in science fiction and gaming (e.g. Warhammer 40,000). Powered armor also is a central feature in the science fiction novels The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, Armor by John Steakley and Dominant Species by Michael E. Marks.

While a realistic visual depiction of powered armor had long been a challenge for practical (live actor in a suit) filming, advances in computer animation have opened the door for several powered armor-centric movies including the film Iron Man, its sequel, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Science fiction video games such as Metroid, Crysis, Fallout, Metal Gear, Halo, Vanquish, StarCraft, and X-COM: UFO Defense focus on elaborate representations of powered armor. Several cartoons and Japanese animation have also depicted similar concepts for powered exoskeletons such as ground troops in Exosquad (American series) and Appleseed (Japanese OVA). In the game Shadow Complex, the character finds the Omega XOS-7 armor, a prototype powered exoskeleton. Powered exoskeletons called AMP Suits also feature prominently in the film Avatar.

While these technologies are clearly over the horizon in terms of current machine and material science, DARPA is actively pursuing a multi-million dollar program "Concepts of Operations for Exoskeletons for Human Performance Augmentation (EHPA)" to develop them.

A realistic and practical representation of a power-assist suit as it might actually develop can be seen in both the 1967 spy-spoof film The Ambushers and the 1986 sci-fi film Aliens: both films depict a female protagonist commandeering a power-assist forklift-like utility suit (in both films, a full-sized practical prop) as a means to fight an antagonist.