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Taiwan builds ‘ironman’ suit to cut fatigue for troops on the ground in wartime
- The powered suit from the ‘Taiwan Ironman’ project will allow soldiers to lift heavy objects with ease and move at up to 6km per hour
- Unveiling comes amid a spike in cross-strait tensions and US worries about Taiwan’s combat readiness
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Taiwan has unveiled the first generation of a battery-powered exoskeleton suit that could enhance the physical endurance of soldiers and increase mobility in various military operations.
This comes amid a spike in tensions across the Taiwan Strait, with record air force sorties from mainland China, that has raised concern internationally.
The version 1.0 mechanised suit is a part of a four-year NT$160 million (US$5.74 million) project developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology – Taiwan’s top weapons maker.
The lower-body exoskeleton will boost the strength and endurance of soldiers on the ground in wartime, according to the 2022 budget proposal submitted to the island’s legislature for review.
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“To reduce fatigue of soldiers in carrying heavy facilities … we started developing the powered suit for the military in 2020,” Jen Kuo-kuang, head developer of the project – dubbed “Taiwan Ironman programme” – said on Tuesday.
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