The Iron Man suit, beyond reach or ready for some updates?

Tony Stark, inventor and creator of the iron man suit, is without doubt one of the greatest minds in the MCU. His futuristic suit gives him all the powers he needs to be a superhero. The question is, could it be improved?

In the past, we tried to create similar things, financed by the military to enhance soldiers’ strength. Lacking the technology we have today, the suits didn’t quite meet the expectations and armies pulled their funds. The interest in the exoskeletons returned, but was more focussed on the disabled, restoring their ability to walk. You might start to wonder how technology for the disabled could improve Stark’s suit, let me explain.

Whereas Stark’s suit copies his body’s movements, the exoskeleton needs to replace a limb or an arm. You guessed it right, we’ve come to the tricky part, there is nothing to copy. In order to control this mechanic body part, we needed the help from world’s most advanced supercomputer, our brain. By connecting the hardware of the prosthesis to our brain, it is able to read the electric impulses that used to travel to the replaced part. Not only would the suits reflexes be incredibly enhanced, it would also increase the wearer’s endurance. If your mind moves the suit, your body doesn’t have to, meaning Mr. Stark doesn’t even need to be in the suit at all! Of course, an immortal superhero wouldn’t be that exciting, but it’s the thought that counts.

As great as this all may sound, we’re nowhere near making a regular Iron man suit. The Mindwalker project is one of the greater achievements so far, but as you can see in the video, it’s as far from a superhero suit as can be.

Science has come a long way though and is definitely moving in the right direction, a full mind-controlled body-armour is already in development. I can’t wait to see the smile on the face of someone walking for the first time again, let’s hope we’ll still be here to witness it.