Real life powered suit...

Back in 1959, Robert A Heinlein published a book called Starship Troopers. Altough the book covers ideology and politics in the futuristic world where humans are at war with alien races, it also introduced the idea of powered armour. This was one of the first science fiction novels to reference something known as powered armour or powered suit which is a mechanized suit of armour that augments the wearers movement and amplifies it; giving the wearer super human strength. Starship Troopers, the novel, was an inspiration to countless science fiction writers, comics, anime, game designers, and movie makers. Of course, the movie adaptation of the book totally destroyed the essence of the story and never did potray powered armour at all.

Now, 40 years later, Professor Sankai of the University of Tsukuba, Japan, has built a wearable powered suit called HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb). In its fifth prototype, HAL-5, Professor Sankai has added upper body limbs.

HAL-5 is ready to be used and the inventor can be contacted for discussions.

Real life can be stranger then fiction, Professor Sankai has setup a company called Cyberdyne Inc. to continue his work in cybernetics.

Professor Sankai created the HAL powered suit as a walking aid to help those with walking or muscle disorder and does not plan to create a military version. In fact, he has turned down several offers for funding to research the HAL for miltary use.

There are many applications that a powered suit can prove useful - search and rescue in hazardous environment, construction, exploration, law enforcement, and of course military. With the introduction of HAL-5, I believe it won't be long before we see powered suits being used in various aspects of our daily lives.

World's First Spaceport

Back in 1968, Stanley Kubrick produced Space 2001: A Space Odyssey. While the story was quite philosophical, it brought a vision to the world of how we would be in the year 2001. Huge space stations orbiting Earth, commercial flights, moon base, etc.

So here we are in the year 2006 and space is no longer in vogue. The International Space Station is slowly being built but with no completion date in sight. The moon has not been visited since 1972.

Nevertheless, in Singapore, the world's first spaceport is being built. Announced in February 2006, it will offer suborbital spaceflight, astronaut training and a education centre. It will be a combination of commercial, research, entertainment and tourist that drives this spaceport.

Who knows, 10 years from now you might be able to hitch a ride to a space station en route to the moon. Remember to visit the toilet while you are still on Earth or you'll have to use a zero gravity toilet as seen in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Dr Floyd : Baffled by the instructions of using a Zero Gravity Toilet: http://www.underview.com/2001/funbits/zerog.html

Official Spaceport Singapore website:
http://spaceportsingapore.com/