After the success of Chang'e-5 lunar mission, China sent a recovery team whose members wore exoskeletons to set up a temporary communication base to connect with the headquarters of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) located in Beijing.

The exoskeletons wore by the recovery team were last seen being used by Chinese soldiers in the Himalayas. The exoskeletons have also helped the members of the recovery team to trudge through the deep snows of Inner Mongolia.

China's Chang'e-5 lunar mission successfully brought back some lunar samples and the capsule landed back to Earth in Inner Mongolia during the early hours of Thursday, December 17.

Iron Man-Like Recovery Team

As soon as the capsule from Chang'e-5 lunar mission landed on Earth, members of the recovery team wearing an exoskeleton were immediately sent to recover the capsule carrying lunar samples.

The team was carrying the gear needed to create a temporary communication facility on the landing site in Inner Mongolia. The South China Morning Post reported that the task would have been harder if not for the exoskeletons the team was wearing.

One of the operators carrying a 50kg (110lb) pack said that he would have been easily exhausted after walking 20 to 30 meters through the frosty terrain to the site if it were not for the iron man-like suit. Overall, they needed to walk over 100 meters to reach the capsule of the Chang'e-5.

According to the state media, the exoskeletons have helped the members of the team carry more than twice of what they can carry compared to not having worn the wearable machines.

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Race to Producing Powered Armors

Previously, there have been reports that China has joined the United States and Russia in the race to creating and producing powered armors or exoskeleton suits, according to EurAsian Times. 

There have been reports of China testing its invented exoskeletons last September and then in November. There have even video clips in this claim which was released by the China Central Television 7 (CCTV 7). The video showed that the troops of the People's Liberation Army at the Wuxi Joint Logistic Support Center in China has been using the exoskeletons to carry crates weighing 80 kg (175 pounds).

The Human Function Enhancement Technology Research Centre designed the exoskeletons specifically for soldiers working at high altitudes, like in the Himalayas, to enhance their performance.

The center's director Zhang Lijiang said that wearing the machine, which weighs about 4kg, could save the person around 10% of their energy while crying a 25kg load at high altitude.

Moreover, Global Times has reported that the production of all types of exoskeletons, may it be powered or non-powered, rigid, or flexible, lower-body, or full-body has already been happening across the country.

But unlike the exoskeletons in other countries, the one used by China does not have an active power source. This allowed the exoskeletons to keep on working despite being on high altitudes as the wearer would not have to worry about the bad weather that could cause the devices to fall, said Hong Kong physiotherapist Cecilia Chan.



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