Lift 50 Pounds With Your Pinky? No Problem With This Hydraulic Exosuit Designed by High School Teens

Who says teenage boys are always up to no good?

A group of eight teens from Bay School of San Francisco put their creative energies to good use and developed an "Iron Man"-style exosuit, showcasing it at the 10th annual Maker Faire, which is "part science fair, part county fair" in California's Bay Area.

Teens in San Francisco created an exosuit that can help the wearer carry up to 400 pounds. (Image source: YouTube)

"Ian, can you normally lift 50 pounds with your pinky?" high school student Gabriel Perko-Engle asked, according to Business Insider.

No, not normally, but Ian Simons, pinky poised on the joystick control of the Amplified Juggernaut Assistance Exoskeleton Exosuit, did just that.

Exosuits are all the rage now with them being looked at by those wanting to help people with physical disabilities get around and by the military to enhance soldier's carrying capacity. The AJAX Exosuit, according to Business Insider, could be of interest to the latter. Re/Code reported that the teens think the suit could be used by warehouse workers as well.

The teens recently completed a successful Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $7,000 — initially seeking only $2,500 — to build the suit. The suit was named by Inventor Spot as one of the best five Kickstarter projects.

AJAX Exosuit, which is still in the works, can lift and carry 400 pounds and is designed to respond to the wearer's natural arm and leg movements.

"The AJAX exosuit detects its user’s movements with force sensors on their upper arms, forearms, thighs and lower legs and sends a signal to the on board Arduinos," the group explained on Kickstarter. "The information is then processed and sent to the pneumatic pistons located at each joint. The pistons then push the suit’s limbs, allowing the suit to mirror its user’s movements. This means the AJAX exosuit can respond automatically to its wearer's actions and act as extra support and strength for heavy lifting."

Check out the exosuit's promo video:

Here's the final suit assembly:

The exosuit makers did not immediately respond to TheBlaze's request for comment.