1964 – Exoskeleton – Kultsar (American)

An early patent describing current exoskeletons was filed in 1964 (and issued in 1967) in the United States. Without using the specific term of exoskeleton, Emery Kultsar, the inventor, describes a "system of support and traction for 'body', designed to protect workers from extreme conditions (fire, explosions, fallen wreckage …). A design feature was that …

1956 – Powered Space Suit – Constantin Lent (American)

Constantin Paul Lent 3034131 MOBILE SPACE SUIT – see pdf here. Patent number: 3034131 Filing date: Aug 7, 1956 Issue date: May 15, 1962 Although the suits key features were related to the aviator's 'needs' for long-duration flights, the invention predicted that as the air became more rarified the higher one could travel, the internal …

1971-4 – JASON a low-cost mobile robot – L. Stephen Coles, Michael H. Smith (American)

JASON, a robot built by students in the EE Dept. at University of California, Berkeley. They include L. Stephen Coles, Michael H. Smith, Alan M. Robb, Paul L. Sinclair, and Ralph R. Sobek. The robot is equipped with a number of infrared proximity sensors and a radio link to its remote computer controller. Its onboard …