Lift 400 Pounds? Move at Lightening Speed? These Bionic Suits Aim To Give Soldiers Super-Human Strength And Endurance

For decades, the U.S. military and its private-sector partners have been working towards a technology straight out of science fiction: robotic suits.

And it's no surprise. Exoskeletons could add to soldiers' natural strength, letting troops lift seemingly impossible loads and dart across the battlefield at incredible speed.

Currently, the military is exploring creating an Iron Man-like specialized suit through the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) program. The suit would provide soldiers with enhanced mobility and protection, and it would likely run on top of an exoskeleton base.

Today's exoskeletons vary in utility, but they can allow soldiers to carry 17 times more weight than normal and march with significantly less strain on the body. With an XOS 2 suit, for example, a solider can carry 400 pounds but feel the weight of only 23.5.

Although robotic exoskeleton suits have been in development for over 50 years, things really started picking up speed in the 1990s, leading to more and more interest from the U.S military. Now, it's a clear priority.

As former Air Force Chief of Staff General John Jumper said, "we must give the individual soldier the same capabilities of stealth and standoff that fighter planes have. We must look at the soldier as the system."