A very particular exoskeleton.

The system is called Centauro and the name is no coincidence.

In China, researchers are exploring a curious idea, there is a very clear limit for the human body, carrying weight for long periods, soldiers, firefighters, rescue teams and construction workers know this problem very well, the more load a person carries, the greater the physical wear and tear, the risk of injury and the metabolic effort of the body.

Engineers have already tried to solve this with robotic exoskeletons, the idea was simple, wear a mechanical structure that amplifies human strength, but these systems for now tend to be heavy, rigid and difficult to use in the real world, now, researchers at the Southern University of Science and Technology in China decided to try a completely different approach, instead of putting robos on human legs, they created new robotic legs.

The system works as a pair of independent robotic legs that connect to the user's back. The human continues walking normally, but the robot begins to carry part of the weight. During the tests, the researchers observed that when carrying a 20 kg backpack, the system managed to reduce the user's metabolic effort by around 35% and the pressure exerted on the feet decreased by more than 50%.

The big difference is in how the robot interacts with the human body and instead of rigidly holding the person's joints, the centaur uses an intelligent elastic coupling, this system keeps the structure rigid during rapid movements, but cushions impacts adapts to the natural movements of the body, this creates a kind of cooperation between human and machine, the human remains responsible for navigation, balance and decisions, while the robot provides constant force to support the weight.

Even being a system attached to the back, the device demonstrated surprising mobility. During the tests, the researchers showed that the robot can climb stairs, cross uneven terrain and make complex curves while accompanying the user. According to scientists, the idea can completely transform activities that involve heavy load transportation, rescue operations, industrial logistics and military operations, since the machines are only inspired by nature and are also inspired by mythology.