The dawn of the age of the exoskeleton
The dawn of the age of the exoskeleton
外骨骼时代的黎明
This year, members of Seattle Mountain Rescue have been setting off into the wilds of the US Pacific Northwest wearing an unusual piece of kit. They’ve been hiking into the wilderness with powered assistive devices attached to their hips and legs. Designed to increase lower-body strength when climbing or carrying heavy loads, these pieces of equipment are being tested to see if they can boost rescuers’ speed and endurance when it matters most—during searches for stranded people. 今年，西雅图山地救援队的成员们开始佩戴一种不同寻常的装备，深入美国太平洋西北地区的荒野。他们背负着安装在髋部和腿部的动力辅助装置徒步进入野外。这些设备旨在增强攀爬或负重时的下肢力量，目前正处于测试阶段，以观察它们是否能在最关键的时刻——即搜救被困人员时——提升救援人员的速度和耐力。
Devices like these are called human exoskeletons. They attach to parts of the body to create an external—or “exo”—mechanical structure. This powered frame enhances the wearer’s physical capabilities. In physically demanding fields, workers are increasingly using these devices during strenuous tasks. IKEA has used SuitX exoskeletons for several years now. These assist warehouse workers with handling heavy materials. Ford, Boeing, and Mazda Toyota have also all adopted the tech on some of their assembly lines. 这类设备被称为人体外骨骼。它们附着在身体部位上，形成一种外部（“exo”）机械结构。这种动力框架能够增强佩戴者的身体能力。在体力要求较高的领域，工人们在执行繁重任务时正越来越多地使用这些设备。宜家（IKEA）使用 SuitX 外骨骼已有数年，这些设备协助仓库工人搬运重物。福特（Ford）、波音（Boeing）以及马自达丰田（Mazda Toyota）也都在其部分装配线上采用了这项技术。
In Finland, a recent project called ExoPELA assessed whether exoskeletons could reduce muscle load and strain in rescue and firefighting work. It found noticeable benefits for users in certain real-world tasks. And in early 2026, the Ukrainian military revealed its soldiers had been using Hypershell exoskeletons on the front lines to help with carrying artillery shells. According to test results, soldiers wearing the devices “become less fatigued, work faster, and maintain combat effectiveness for longer,” Colonel Vitalii Serdiuk told the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper in March. 在芬兰，一个名为 ExoPELA 的近期项目评估了外骨骼是否能减轻救援和消防工作中的肌肉负荷与劳损。结果发现，该设备在某些实际任务中对用户有显著益处。2026 年初，乌克兰军方透露，其士兵一直在前线使用 Hypershell 外骨骼来协助搬运炮弹。维塔利·谢尔久克（Vitalii Serdiuk）上校在 3 月份接受《乌克兰真理报》采访时表示，根据测试结果，佩戴这些设备的士兵“疲劳感减轻，工作速度加快，并能更长时间地保持战斗力”。
Multiple consumer and clinical devices, designed for everyday assistance, rehabilitation and exercise, are also now available. Some estimates have valued the total sector at around $500 million (£370 million) currently, and predict it could double or triple in size by the mid-2030s. 目前，市场上也出现了多种专为日常辅助、康复和锻炼而设计的消费级及临床级设备。据估计，该行业目前的总价值约为 5 亿美元（约合 3.7 亿英镑），并预测到 2030 年代中期，其规模可能会翻两番或三番。
Exoskeleton technology has progressed significantly over the past decade. This has largely been thanks to robotic motors, sensors, and control systems becoming more affordable and accessible. However, the concept of augmenting human performance with exoskeleton-like devices dates back much earlier. One of the earliest known concepts was patented in 1890 by Nicholas Yagn, a self-taught Russian inventor, who designed a wearable apparatus for exercising. And in 1919, the American Leslie C. Kelley received a patent for a steam-powered device to support walking, one of the first powered exoskeleton concepts. 过去十年中，外骨骼技术取得了显著进步。这在很大程度上归功于机器人电机、传感器和控制系统变得更加经济实惠且易于获取。然而，利用外骨骼类设备增强人类表现的概念由来已久。最早的已知概念之一是由俄罗斯自学成才的发明家尼古拉斯·雅格（Nicholas Yagn）于 1890 年申请的专利，他设计了一种用于锻炼的可穿戴装置。1919 年，美国人莱斯利·C·凯利（Leslie C. Kelley）获得了一项蒸汽动力行走辅助装置的专利，这是最早的动力外骨骼概念之一。
By the end of the 1960s, multiple actuated robotic exoskeletons incorporating electronic control systems had been developed. Since then, exoskeleton research and development has advanced rapidly, leading to the emergence of numerous devices with commercial and clinical applications. 到 20 世纪 60 年代末，多种结合了电子控制系统的驱动型机器人外骨骼已被开发出来。自那时起，外骨骼的研发进展迅速，涌现出大量具有商业和临床应用价值的设备。
How they work / 工作原理
Exoskeletons generate forces to make the wearer stronger, move faster, or fatigue slower. Some devices also improve movement accuracy and dexterity or support overall posture. Some are designed to elevate human capabilities beyond what is typically possible. Others help patients with reduced physical capacity. 外骨骼通过产生作用力，使佩戴者变得更强壮、移动更快或疲劳更慢。一些设备还能提高运动的准确性和灵活性，或支撑整体姿态。有些设备旨在将人类能力提升到通常水平之上，而另一些则旨在帮助身体机能受损的患者。
Modern, active robotic exoskeletons typically consist of a lightweight mechanical frame with ergonomic attachments to the human body. These are usually affixed at the trunk, waist and to upper or lower limbs. For example, the Hypershell device seen in Ukraine attaches to the user’s waist and thighs, to assist with hip flexion and extension and strengthen lower-body movement. The SuitX device used by IKEA attaches to the torso and upper limbs, to support the back and shoulders. 现代主动式机器人外骨骼通常由轻质机械框架和符合人体工程学的身体连接件组成。它们通常固定在躯干、腰部以及上肢或下肢。例如，在乌克兰使用的 Hypershell 设备固定在用户的腰部和大腿上，以辅助髋关节的屈伸并增强下肢运动。宜家使用的 SuitX 设备则固定在躯干和上肢，以支撑背部和肩部。
In most powered exoskeletons, mechanical components called actuators convert electric power from batteries into mechanical movement, generating forces that support or enhance the body’s movement. The actuators are coordinated by control units embedded in the exoskeleton. These define the trajectories of the exoskeleton’s movements and how much force it applies to the wearer’s body. 在大多数动力外骨骼中，被称为“执行器”的机械组件将电池的电能转化为机械运动，产生支撑或增强身体运动的作用力。执行器由嵌入外骨骼中的控制单元进行协调。这些控制单元定义了外骨骼的运动轨迹以及施加在佩戴者身体上的作用力大小。
Exactly how the device moves, and how forcefully, will depend on the task and the state of the user—with the device using sensors to determine what’s needed. For instance, if a wearer starts running, an exoskeleton will speed up its supportive movements. If it senses they’re beginning to fatigue, it might increase its power output to compensate. Control units are normally pre-programmed for specific tasks, though modern exoskeletons are increasingly becoming more adaptive. Some are equipped with algorithms that learn from users’ actual working behaviors to better support their actions. 设备如何运动以及力度如何，完全取决于任务需求和用户的状态——设备会利用传感器来判断所需的操作。例如，如果佩戴者开始奔跑，外骨骼会加快其辅助动作；如果传感器感知到佩戴者开始疲劳，它可能会增加功率输出以进行补偿。控制单元通常针对特定任务进行预编程，但现代外骨骼正变得越来越具有自适应性。一些设备配备了算法，可以从用户的实际工作行为中学习，从而更好地支持他们的动作。
However, assistance exoskeletons provide generally falls into three categories. Power augmentation increases the force capabilities of the user. This is commonly seen in assistive exoskeletons, like those being used by IKEA and in Ukraine. Assist-as-needed or resist-as-needed settings provide support to the body only when necessary. This setting is often used in rehabilitation devices, to help users train their bodies to recover lost capabilities. Finally there’s full robotic control, where the exoskeleton assumes complete control over part of the body. This tends to be for users who have lost certain motor functions. For example, a lower-body exoskeleton might use full robotic control to allow someone with spinal cord injury to walk. These ways of working can be combined and adapted according to the specific task, environment, and needs of the user. 外骨骼提供的辅助通常分为三类。第一类是动力增强，旨在提高用户的力量能力，这常见于宜家和乌克兰所使用的辅助型外骨骼。第二类是“按需辅助”或“按需阻力”设置，仅在必要时为身体提供支持，这种设置常用于康复设备，帮助用户训练身体以恢复丧失的功能。最后是全机器人控制，即外骨骼完全接管身体某部分的控制权，这通常针对丧失了特定运动功能的用户。例如，下肢外骨骼可以通过全机器人控制，让脊髓损伤患者实现行走。这些工作方式可以根据具体的任务、环境和用户需求进行组合与调整。
What’s next? / 未来展望
For now, most exoskeletons rely on feedback from sensors to define how they behave; they’re wholly mechanical. But in the future exoskeletons could be operated with signals from the wearer’s muscles or brain. Research is exploring this, but it remains a challenge. Harnessing these signals might require an invasive interface and extensive user-specific calibration and adaptation. Power is another current challenge. 目前，大多数外骨骼依赖传感器反馈来决定其行为；它们本质上是纯机械的。但在未来，外骨骼可能通过佩戴者的肌肉或大脑信号来操作。研究人员正在探索这一方向，但这仍然是一个挑战。利用这些信号可能需要侵入式接口，并进行大量的用户特定校准和适配。能源供应是目前面临的另一个挑战。