It’s practically science fiction stuff come alive and hard to believe, but human-enhancing power suits exist and they can achieve some incredible things. Called mech suits, these high tech advanced exoskeletons can lift a truck and climb boulders but they were created by their creators at Furrion Limited for racing.
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“Our mech technology represents a departure from conventional, human-scale Exo-Bionic technology, integrating off-road racing components with industrial motion control to produce an entirely new breed of human-piloted machine. These are sports machines, operated by athletes and built to race off-road,” reads Furrion’s website.
Their mech suit is called Prosthesis and the 9,000-pound quadruped machine has been in the making for 10 years. The first person to try on the exoskeleton suit, according to CNET, was Canadian champion skeleton racer Cassie Hawrysh.
Hawrysh had to train for three days to learn how to use the suit and fell on her face several times. Finally, the athlete achieved the momentous goal of taking a first step.
“That was like a monumental event for us,” she told CNET, “but I also fell flat on Prosthesis’ face a couple times, which was hilarious and terrifying because you’re falling from height.”
But Furrion is not just creating these massive machines for entertainment. The firm’s website indicates that the mere act of learning to pilot their massive mech is “a testament to the innate human drive to push boundaries and achieve excellence through practice and physical conditioning.”
Furrion also has some very ambitious plans for their hopeful new racing team of mechs. Their new “X1-Mech Racing League” will see world-class athletes perform against one another, using these giant mech suits that will give them hundreds of horsepower under their command. The firm states that it is dedicated to making a future where mech racing is common a reality sooner than anyone can dream possible. We are excited. Are you?