AFTER HIS hands were crushed(压碎，压伤) two years ago in a machine that bends sheet metal, Remco Letschert feared he would never work again. Yet a year later Mr Letschert returned to his construction job in Aarhus, Denmark—even though his dominant(惯用的，占主导的) left hand is too weak for such work. A powered glove he affectionately calls his “robot hand” allows him to carry materials, climb scaffolding, squeeze tin snippers and operate a drill. Using the system, branded “Ironhand”, requires no special thought, he says. When sensors in the glove’s fingertips and palm detect pressure, five little motors instantly whir into action, pulling cables that tighten his grip.(当手套指尖和手掌的传感器检测到压力时，五个小马达立即启动，拉动缆绳以收紧握力。)
两年前，雷姆科·莱切特（Remco Letschert）的双手在一台弯曲金属板的机器中被压碎，他担心自己再也无法工作。然而一年后，莱切特先生回到了他在丹麦奥胡斯的建筑工作岗位——尽管他惯用的左手已虚弱到无法胜任此类工作。一只被他亲切称为“机械手”的动力手套让他能够搬运材料、攀爬脚手架、捏动锡剪并操作电钻。他说，使用这款名为“Ironhand”的系统无需特别思考。当手套指尖和手掌中的传感器检测到压力时，五个小马达会立即嗡嗡作响，拉动缆绳以收紧他的握力。
Exoskeletons, as strength-amplifying rigs(力量放大的装备) of this sort are known, are a staple(主要内容，常见元素) of science-fiction films, from “Aliens” to “Avatar”. In reality full-body versions like those on screen have disappointed(令人失望的). A decade ago the American army was developing two of them, together with a third for just the legs and hips. All have been abandoned. But modest(适度的，朴素的) exoskeletons are proving surprisingly useful—and not just to the injured and disabled. At €9,995 ($11,423), for example, Ironhand is hardly cheap. Yet since Skelex, a Dutch firm, began selling the device in 2024, it has been put to work by about 200 companies around the world.(然而，自荷兰公司Skelex于2024年开始销售该设备以来，全球约200家公司已将其投入使用。)
外骨骼——这类增强力量的装备——是科幻电影中的常见元素，从《异形》到《阿凡达》皆是如此。现实中，像银幕上那样的全身版本却令人失望。十年前，美国陆军正在开发其中两款，外加一款仅用于腿部和臀部的。这些项目如今均已被放弃。但朴素的外骨骼正展现出惊人的实用性——且不仅对伤者和残障人士如此。例如，Ironhand 售价 9,995 欧元（11,423 美元），并不便宜。然而，自荷兰公司 Skelex 于 2024 年开始销售该设备以来，全球已有约 200 家公司投入使用。
Advances in batteries, actuators(执行器，致动器) and software have played a role. But, paradoxically, the biggest leap forward, says Karl Zelik, an exoskeleton expert at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, was restraint.(但矛盾的是，范德比尔特大学外骨骼专家卡尔·泽利克表示，最大的飞跃是克制。) The industry stopped chasing “Hollywood, do-it-all(万能的，全能的)” designs. Instead, today’s lighter, more comfortable exoskeletons focus on assisting a single part of the body to perform tasks ranging from fixing roofs to gathering crops (see picture).
电池、执行器和软件方面的进步发挥了作用。但矛盾的是，纳什维尔范德比尔特大学的外骨骼专家卡尔·泽利克表示，最大的飞跃是克制。该行业不再追逐“好莱坞式、万能型”的设计。相反，如今更轻便、更舒适的外骨骼专注于辅助身体的单一部位，以完成从修理屋顶到采摘农作物等任务（见图）。
Sharing the load
分担负荷