A shipbuilder is making waves this week after photos surfaced of one of its workers lifiting heavy parts while wearing a bionic suit designed to give him super strength.

That's right, a real-life Iron Man has been sighted, and he works at a shipyard in South Korea.

According to a story posted Monday in New Scientist, the suit was put into use last year by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering as part of a test intended to boost production. The exoskeleton, as it is called by the company, can lift up to 70 pounds on its own, supports itself and comes with a three-hour battery life.

It isn't about replacing human workers with robots, but instead allowing them to work more efficiently and effectively by augmenting their own strength. That said, the potential site safety and workers' comp implications of this could be significant as well.

Engineers for Daewoo Shipbuilding are reportedly working on the prototype model and hope to put the suits into regular use at the company's shipyards in the near future.

Read the full story at New Scientist.

Special Reports /

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