IT has got to be the most outlandish military project the Pentagon has ever dreamed up. In just four years, and with $50 million, they plan to create a wearable, self-propelled robotic suit that responds to-and amplifies-your every movement. Strap themselves in and troops will be able to run faster, jump higher, leap further, and drape themselves in awesome amounts of armour and high-calibre weaponry. It will turn your average GI into a heavyweight fighting machine with superhuman powers-a kind of Tank Girl meets the Six-Million Dollar Man.

Despite the military slant, researchers on the project say it's far more than simply toys for the boys. They predict major civilian spin-offs for workers in construction, mining and heavy industries. Exoskeletons, the proper name for these mechanical suits, could help firefighters cut victims from wrecked buildings or vehicles far faster than they can right now, and give disabled people new-found mobility-perhaps ...