The XOS 2 exoskeleton allows users to do hundreds of push-ups easily. The hydraulic limbs were developed to give soldiers extra lifting power.

For professions where extra muscles would be useful, an exoskeleton could be a solution, and it is particularly useful for people who perform daily heavy lifts at work. Nursing staff, firefighters and soldiers are all potential target groups.

U.S. company Raytheon, a major international military supplier, developed the XOS 2 for just such a purpose. Once soldiers don the XOS 2, they can easily lift 100 pounds many times over. The suit, which makes wearers 17 times stronger, aims to make it easier for soldiers to carry supplies, heavy ammunition or wounded fellow soldiers. The new technology may be used on the battlefield within the next three to five years.