According to the NASA research team behind the designing of the X1 Robotic Exoskeleton, though the 57-pound suit has chiefly been designed to help astronauts stay in shape on their flights to Mars, the suit may also be useful in helping paraplegics walk.

Revealing that the X1 essentially makes use of robotic technology for a dual-use exoskeleton, NASA researchers said that the X1 has partly been designed on the lines of the space agency’s Robonaut 2 humanoid robot which is currently in a testing phase aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

About the potential benefits of the X1 for the astronauts as well as paraplegics, the researchers said that, so far as the astronauts are concerned, the inhibit mode of the suit gives them the required resistance for doing a workout during their long idle hours in a Mars-bound spaceship or for doing time on the ISS.

On the other hand, the use of the X1 suit in reverse mode works with the wearer and provides stability and movement assistance; thereby underscoring the fact that it has the potential to help paraplegics walk on Earth.

Going by the results of preliminary studies carried out at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, the robotic technology used in X1 – which is presently in research and development stage - makes it easier to wear, easier to adjust, and much more comfortable than any other exoskeleton device.