And here I thought Lockheed Martin only built aircraft and missiles! No sirree Bob – Lockheed Martin is very obviously a full-service military contractor, if this new soldier exoskeleton technology is any indication. The exoskeleton – suitably named the HULC (rarr! smash puny humans!) – will enable soldiers to carry up to 200 pounds with minimal effort, the company says. As we can see in the somewhat-boring demo video below, the HULC could also have some very obvious commercial applications. I seem to remember a day-long hike in the mountains of Peru many years ago that almost killed me. A bionic suit that lightened my load would have been most welcome. I wonder what such a skeleton would sell for?

One thing is for sure – the military’s work on bionic exoskeletons means we are one step closer to bringing my favourite Jean Claude Van Damme movie to life.