Futuristic Black Panther Tech That’s Closer Than You Realized

T’Challa’s flexible, bulletproof, and energy-storing suit might be very much the realm of science fiction rather than reality, but individual elements of the suit already exist to some degree. LiveScience compares the suit’s ability to give the wearer extra strength and agility to current exoskeletons, which can help users pick up heavy objects or even restore the ability to walk to those who can no longer do so on their own. For example, Hyundai’s 2016 H-MEX exoskeleton provides renewed mobility to users who have lost partial or total use of their legs, allowing them to walk, turn, sit down, and climb stairs at a speed of up to 1.5 mph.

Not as fast as an able-bodied person, granted, but the exoskeleton that SlashGear tested was an early prototype. Ford has also developed its own exoskeleton to help its factory workers lift objects over their heads on longer shifts, with the skeleton preventing fatigue and reducing the chance of injury. The suit was first rolled out to the production line in 2018 and was such a success, Ford made the commitment to expand its use across its international production plants over the following years. While there’s no real-life wraparound suit that can keep up with the might of T’Challa’s, exoskeleton tech is already a reality, and it might well become more commonplace soon.