Superhuman strength is in reach with Titan Arm Titan Arm was developed by four mechanical engineering students from the University of Pennsylvania: Nick Parrotta, Elizabeth Beattie, Nick McGill, and Niko Vladimirov. The prototype took eight months to create, and cost just £1,200 to build. Existing exoskeleton designs can cost as much as £63,000. The Titan Arm can also be used to rehabilitate people with back injuries, allowing them to rebuild muscle and relearn motor control. Over the last decade over 7.5 million working days were lost due to musculoskeletal disorders. "We wanted Titan Arm to be affordable, as exoskeletons are rarely covered by health insurance," explained Mr Parrotta. This informed our design decisions and the materials we used. Most structural components are machined from inexpensive aluminum. Parotta and his team will use the £30,000 prize money to fund further development, testing and, ultimately, commercialisation of the Titan Arm. Titan Legs and even Titan Torsos could soon be on the cards. Once you've developed the technology for one joint, it's not too much of a stretch to do the others. Despite being fervent Iron Man fans, the team are keen to constrain their research to creating products that help the everyman, rather than creating a super man. "The US military has been research products that provide tremendous strength but I'm less concerned with creating a super human, more with helping people to feel more human," said Mr Parrotta. Titan Arm beat off stiff competition to win this year's accolade. Runners up include the Handie, a dextrous prosthetic hand designed by Japanese inventor Hiroshi Yamaura and a 3D printed plastic lightweight cast called the Cortex. These companies will both receive £10,000 to fund further development. The 2012 winner of the Award was Dan Watson, inventor of SafetyNet, a fish net with an illuminated escape route that prevents the capture of young, unmarketable fish. Since winning the award, Dan is in talks with government agencies across the world about sustainable fishing.