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Science Fiction
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"Individual science fiction stories may seem as trivial as ever to the blinder critics and philosophers of today -- but the core of science fiction, its essence has become crucial to our salvation if we are to be saved at all."
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![]() In this case, "exo" is short for exoskeleton, a powered suit that provides added strength. Since this is a William Gibson work, I'm betting that this is no clumsy robotic "Transformers" style device; it is probably a great-looking suit. Note also that carbon fibers are long and strong; but then, so is chitin, the main structural ingredient in arthropod exoskeletons.
The notion of an exoskeleton is derived from biology; many of the world's creatures have no backbone, but use a hard outer shell. It is an elegant solution, since it combines protection with the same structural purpose of bones.
The idea of an exoskeleton has been used before in science fiction; for example, the soldiers in Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers achieve parity with the insect race they fight by using military exoskeletons (see powered suit).
Why do we assume that an exoskeleton will make you stronger? It is true that some arthropods can carry up to 50 times their body weight. Also, having muscles inside an external skeleton is more efficient. However, most of the advantage comes from the fact that they are small; their muscle weight is low compared to muscle surface area. Comment/Join this discussion ( 2 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This | Additional
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Science Fiction
Timeline
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'The pitiless M rays pierced Earth and steel and densest concrete as if they were so much transparent glass...'
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'Nanny is different,' Tom Fields murmured... 'she's not like a machine. She's like a person.'
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'We made a crude , small cell and were delighted - and, I admit, somewhat surprised - to find it worked.'
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'...we've promised him a generous pension from the royalties.'
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'We want to do something to help those who are suffering from tooth loss or absence,' said lead researcher Katsu Takahashi.
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