A little-known company called Furrion presented its first exobionic robot called Prosthesis at the 2018 CES international exhibition. It weighed more than 3.5 tons, and to climb on it, you had to climb to a height of 4.5 meters.

Prosthesis is an exoskeleton that a person must connect to. It controls all the functions and movements of this extremely large device.

For three years, the developers of the exoskeleton have been constantly improving and supplementing it and plan to organize real races with the participation of these mechanisms on the most extreme roads, including impassable locations around the world. Scientists are confident that Prosthesis will go everywhere, and everything else depends on the pilot.

It is known that at first the mechanism walked, but the author of the project promised that in two months he would teach it to run, and by the end of the year to jump from a place. All these efforts were aimed at creating a platform for the further active development of the Racing Robot League without any obstacles. Over time, everyone will be able to participate in the race. There was also a report about the creation of a school for pilots in the desert.

In addition, Furrion later registered the world’s first robot racing league called the X1 Mech Racing League and even successfully ran a Kickstarter campaign where anyone with enough money, namely 2,500 Canadian dollars, could become an honorary participant in a training program for pilots of this robotic exoskeleton.

In August 2020, a well-known Canadian YouTuber tried to complete several lessons of this extremely difficult program. Exoskeleton developer Jonathan Tippett watched and helped the newcomer.

Technical specifications of PROSTHESIS:

• Weight: 4 tons.
• Height: 4 meters.
• Width: 5.5 meters.
• Length: 5.1 m.

• Working hours: 15-60 minutes.
• Battery: 96V x 20kWh LiIon.
• Motion system: electro-hydraulic with direct tactile feedback.
• Suspension system: customized air shock absorbers.

Prosthesis is constructed of chrome-plated pipes.

It starts to move with the help of two electric motors with a power of 225, through the hydraulic system, springs and suspension systems. Its massive arms and legs react to the movements of the pilot’s corresponding limbs.

Thanks to the feedback mechanism, the user feels a tactile impulse and loses the ability to move one of the limbs when Prosthesis encounters an obstacle on its way.

The pilot’s safety is ensured by a frame placed around the cockpit. The cab itself is mounted on dampers.

Under the guidance of an experienced pilot, the exoskeleton can reach speeds of up to 30 km per hour. The device is capable of lifting and squeezing loads and small cars with its metal tusks. The suit can stand on its hind limbs. But when performing such a task, it must be remembered that the exoskeleton is not equipped with automatic stabilization systems, a hydroscope, or an electronic control unit, so if a person makes one mistake, the mechanism will not be able to maintain its balance and will fall.

So, given the fact that this project is actively developing, it is only a matter of time before giant mech racing on a professional level.