The exo-suit dream has been gaining ground quite steadily and is a dream we’ve all had for some time now ever since The Centurions made their debut on TV. We’ve seen some real ‘strides’ in this technology in the last year and here’s the latest – Developed by Sagawa Electronics in Japan, engineers have created a wearable, fully motorized exoskeleton that’s almost ready to go into mass production. The prototype of this suit called “Powered jacket MK3″, was tested by a young school girl to showcase just how easy it is to use and get around in.


Various sensors on the MK3 will detect your movement and the servo motors in the arms and legs will adjust themselves to comply. The suit is powered by a lithium battery, weighs in at about 25kg and is 7 feet 4 inches (225 cm) in height. It’s built using a carbon fibre frame with aluminium where essential to keep the weight low. It is designed to be elegant enough to use for even delicate operations. Naturally it does help strengthen your existing muscle capability and thanks to elastic joints it makes movements smooth and comfortable but not yet silent. I’m sure that’s something they’ll work on for the next generation model or the model they release to the public.

It certainly looks interesting enough and although the video below shows off t he MK3’s prowess, it doesn’t quite seem as comfortable to run in as they say. Nevertheless, it’s a step in the right direction. The suit will be showcased on July 28th at the Wonder Festival 2013 and if you’d like to know just how much this would set you back, the Powered jacket MK3 is priced at $123,475 (12.5 Million YEN).

[Via – Itmedia]