Sci-fi movie buffs will be familiar with this scene from the movie Aliens 2 where the heroine [yes, a woman] uses an exoskeleton to try to save a child from the baddie.
And if aliens are not your cup of tea, how about Iron Man from the Avengers movies? That pretty red suit he wears is not just a fashion statement, or yummy body armour, it’s actually an exoskeleton as well.
But now, for the first time, real exoskeletons are making an appearance in the hospitals of Japan. Designed to aid both patients and carers, this amazing, robotic invention is set to become commonplace in the real world.
And that, my friends, means that at least one, small part of my Innerscape story is no longer sci-fi! If you’re curious, my protagonist, Miira, wears an exoskeleton in the very first scene to give her a degree of mobility and independence. [You can read the most recent version on Wattpad here]
Ironically, I snuck the concept of an exoskeleton into the beginning of the story to provide a subtle clue that Innerscape was, in fact, a science fiction story. Now I’ve been foiled by the rate of technological advancement. It makes me wonder what else will be out of date by the end of the year, let alone the end of the century.
I’m not complaining, but this incredible technological advance does highlight one of the major drawbacks of writing in the ‘near future’ – no one can accurately forecast what that future will look like. Still, it’s fun to try. π
cheers
Meeks
May 16th, 2015 at 1:24 pm
Fiction is sometimes ahead of the curve βof course there are times when science fiction gets it entirely wrong, but hey… It’s fiction! Thanks for the video comparison.
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May 17th, 2015 at 12:04 pm
lol – I’ve got another one for you today. I seem to be seeing new tech with interesting consequences under every bush lately. π
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May 15th, 2015 at 5:07 pm
Reblogged this on Author Matt Bowes and the Dog's Breakfast and commented:
Robot suits/exoskeletons! Meeka’s Mind provides a look at a real exoskeleton being used in Japan in hospitals for rehabilitation, with the idea it can also be used to assist users in carrying heavy loads as well. This is neat.
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May 15th, 2015 at 5:23 pm
Thanks Matt. I love this kind of tech. π
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May 15th, 2015 at 4:10 pm
Fantastic foresight on your part, fantastic progress towards helping the disabled live fuller lives.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
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May 15th, 2015 at 5:25 pm
lol – I wish I could take credit for it but I can’t! Nevertheless, I am wildly excited by this development. I might get to own one…one day. π
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May 15th, 2015 at 4:06 pm
Innerscape is so very thought provoking for me, as it all seems entirely too possible. Case in point exoskeleton!
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May 15th, 2015 at 5:26 pm
Then again, when has a sci-fi writer ever forecast the future accurately? Look at 1985. Even the TV version of Big Brother was late by 20 years. π
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May 15th, 2015 at 7:42 pm
Timing is not the Muses forte.
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May 15th, 2015 at 8:34 pm
-grin- sad but true.
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May 15th, 2015 at 9:41 am
Reminds me of a talk at ThrillerFest a couple years back. One of the science fiction authors said it’s only a matter of time before the ‘fiction’ part of science fiction is no longer fiction. π
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May 15th, 2015 at 5:27 pm
Some bits, absolutely. Not too sure about faster than light travel though. Might have to wait a while for that one. π
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May 15th, 2015 at 8:48 pm
Haha, yes, that one might still be a ways away.
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May 15th, 2015 at 9:25 am
It means you’re ahead of your time. How cool.
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May 15th, 2015 at 5:27 pm
lmao – thank you! I didn’t think of it quite that way, but yes, I guess I was. π
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