Sarcos XOS Exoskeleton
Thanks to Dr. Stephen Jacobsen, Sarcos and eight years of development, the XOS is scheduled to undergo Army testing later this year. From carrying 150 pounds up and down flights of stairs to kicking a soccer ball, this suit will take any task and not only make it easier, but make you look incredibly bad-ass in the process. An army of admirers will surround you, children will ask for your autograph, women will throw themselves at your feet and small animals will flee in terror.
So far the XOS is still in development. The Army has only requested that it fulfill supply tasks, such as lifting heavy objects and carrying large loads across long distances. But don't worry, my bloodthirsty, machine-gun-loving friends - our beloved military has already expressed its desire to develop the XOS even further. We will one day see the XOS protect our country as the mini gun-wielding killing machine we all secretly hoped for.
GEKKO
Aside from blowing our minds with stunning gameplay, beautiful graphics and much needed closure to a plotline with more twists than a Mexican soap opera, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots introduced us to the GEKKO.
The GEKKO, also known as the Lizard or IRVING, is produced by ArmsTech, a company all too familiar to Metal Gear fans, since they were the ones who worked with DARPA (Coincidence? I think not!) in the original Metal Gear Solid to create Metal Gear REX. But the GEKKO has gone a long way since the days of old REX.
This version is fully autonomous, relying solely on its A.I. and beefy legs. These clawed legs, made from artificial muscle tissue, aren't only used for walking, sprinting and Matrix-style leaps, but are instruments of destruction. They crush, slide, and karate kick any feeble human into oblivion. When punting militia 30 feet into the air no longer amuses GEKKO, it can use an array of weapons strategically placed on its dome. With a mounted machine gun, rocket launcher and whip-like arms, the GEKKO is probably one of the scariest things you can run into in the middle of a battlefield.
As if it wasn't frightnening enough, the GEKKO emits a hair-raising bovine howl, spins its head 360 degrees and spurts gratuitous amounts of green fluid after battle, making it the number one candidate to star in a remake of The Exorcist.
Now that you've been terrified into hoping you never see a GEKKO in your lifetime, let's see what the real DARPA is working on.
Boston Dynamics' BigDog
Funded by DARPA, Boston Dynamics has developed a one meter long, 70-centimeter tall gasoline powered machine called the BigDog, and yes, it does more than just creep you out. The BigDog can trot at up to four miles per hour, climb up slopes and walk across rubble, all with 340 pounds of cargo on its back. This makes it an ideal mode of transportation for those people who'd like to ride a horse, but still want to enjoy the feeling of burning fossil fuels.
