GorillaOffTopic, Everything But Gorilla Trades

Recently, the Gorilla (who is an avid moviegoer) checked out the new Robert Downey Jr. film, “Iron Man.” The Gorilla, being quite the self-appointed critic himself, went to the show with an open mind, but not with high expectations. The movie looked silly and whimsical, and frankly, dumb in the Gorilla’s opinion. After all, we all know how over the top superhero-type movies can sometimes be, right? Wrong! This movie was exceptional, exciting, and although a little unrealistic, the Gorilla was on the edge of his seat with the anticipation about what might happen next. The movie was thrilling and action packed.  The premise was based on the character’s family empire, which deals in the manufacturing and distribution of arms weapons (missiles etc.) to third world countries-mostly- some of which are used against the U.S. More to the point, in the movie, the main character (Robert Downey) creates a metal suit, which acts as a sometimes lethal weapon and a staunch defense against the enemy. In essence, he creates and “Iron Man” to defend himself and to defeat the enemy. The Gorilla was astounded by the capabilities of this “Iron Man” suit, and although it was a little far-fetched (one could take off and fly with jet-like propulsion while wearing the suit), it was truly a phenomenal idea if it could be created. In fact, the Gorilla was thinking that very thought once he exited the theater. How GREAT would it be to actually have those as part of our weapons arsenal for the U.S. Military?

Well, it seems that it is already in the works and a prototype of something very similar is already being tested as we speak. This robotic suit is being produced by Sarco Enterprises in Salt Lake City, Utah and is currently in contracts with the army.  The 150 pound metal suit made by Raytheon, works by sensing every movement of the wearer, and almost instantly amplifies it. The suit is being called the “Super Soldier” and although it cannot fly with jet propulsion, it possesses some extraordinary qualities. Currently the “exoskeleton” of aluminum and electronics multiplies human strength by 20 times! The army believes that the Super Soldiers may be used in combat someday, but for now they are being used to load cargo and to repair heavy equipment.  Sarcos is developing the technology under a two-year contract worth up to $10 million, and the Army plans initial field tests next year. Wow! Currently the suit is not very practical in that it is very expensive to manufacture and currently uses a battery with only 30 minutes worth of power. The army says it envisions the robots eventually being used in the battlefield to repair helicopters, lug heavy equipment such as ammunition boxes across uneven and rough terrain, and even relying on the suit’s super-strength to repair damaged or broken down tanks in dangerous places.  Sarcos foresees the units being used by factory workers and firefighters as well. Now the Gorilla knows why the “Iron Man” movie was such a hit; it is based on a real-life idea that has some very exciting potential! Now that’s a perfect example of art imitating life wouldn’t you say? If you haven’t yet seen “Iron Man,” check it out. The Gorilla guarantees, you will NOT be disappointed!