Imagine wearing high-tech body armor that makes you super strong and tireless.
想象自己穿上高科技人体铠甲，变得超级强大、不知疲倦。

Such technology, more specifically called an exoskeleton, sounds like the preserve of the “Iron Man” series of superhero movies.
这种技术的学名为外骨骼，听起来就像超级英雄电影《钢铁侠》系列的保留项目。

Yet the equipment is increasingly being worn in real life around the world.
在现实生活中，全球各地使用这种铠甲的人越来越多。

And one manufacturer - California's SuitX - expects it to go mainstream.
美国加州的外骨骼制造商SuitX公司期待这种产品会成为主流。

Credit: SuitX

In simple terms, an exoskeleton is an external device that supports, covers and protects its user, giving greater levels of strength and endurance.
简而言之，外骨骼就是支撑、遮盖和保护使用者的外部设备，为其提供更高水平的力量和耐力。

Sometimes also referred to as "wearable robots", they can be battery-powered and computer-operated, incorporating motors and hydraulics. Or they can be more simple, passive designs that use springs and dampeners.
外骨骼有时也被称为"可穿戴机器人"，有的靠电池供电、电脑操作，包含发动机和液压装置，也有比较简单的运用弹簧和减震器的被动式设计。

Many of the early applications have been focused on military and medical applications, but in the last several years there's been an explosion of use in a range of cases.
许多早期外骨骼应用主要集中在军事和医疗领域，但是过去几年，多个领域的使用量剧增。

This expansion, which has come with rapid advances in the technology, has seen exoskeletons increasingly used by manufacturing workers.
与此同时，伴随着技术的快速发展，制造工人越来越多地使用外骨骼。

Versions for consumers are also now being developed to help people more easily do everything from DIY, to walking, climbing stairs, and other daily activities.
厂商现在也研发出了消费者版外骨骼，来帮助人们更容易地从事DIY(自己动手做)、走路、爬楼梯和其他日常活动。