The September 8 edition of the Waterloo Region Record features a profile of James Hobson, 2012 graduate of Conestoga's Mechanical Systems Engineering degree program and self-described 'crazy inventor,' whose latest creation has taken the Internet by storm.
Inspired by science fiction thriller Elysium, Hobson, 24, has built a working, wearable exoskeleton that harnesses compressed air to do superhuman feats. An online video of Hobson completing 170-pound barbell curls while wearing the suit has garnered more than 1 million views, and is capturing worldwide attention, covered by a British newspaper, a TV station in Chicago, a German science show, and online blogs in Russian, French and Spanish.
Hobson works as a product developer at Christie Digital Systems, and devotes most of his leisure time to developing and testing his creations in his home workshop.
To read the full story, visit the Waterloo Region Record.
At Conestoga, Hobson, along with teammates Ian Hillier, David Timmerman and Brian Montgomery-Wilson, made history in 2011 as the first-ever team from a college-based engineering degree program to compete - and win - in the Senior Design division of the Ontario Engineering competition.