Powered armor
Powered armor is a frequently used trope in modern science fiction.[1]
Robert Heinlein is widely credited with being the first author to describe the concept of powered armor suits -- a suit a soldier wears, with internal sensors that detect how strongly he or she is trying to move their body, and then multiplies it.[1] This enables the soldier to lift heavy weights, or deliver crushing blows.
Heinlein described how the sensors worked, in detail, but later writers seem to assume that the idea is so ubiqutous, it does not require explanation.
Some scientists have taken a leaf from Science Fiction, and have worked to make wearable limb augmentors, for helping the user to lift heavy weights.[1]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2
Noah Shachtman (2004-12-12). "Exoskeleton Strength". ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2025-03-08. Retrieved 2026-06-05.
The sci-fi author Robert Heinlein had the idea first: in his 1959 novel, "Starship Troopers," soldiers stepped into suits of powered armor to make themselves stronger, faster and generally better prepared to fight off alien hordes.