Combat suits are common elements in MilSciFi - that branch of the genre that deals with combat in futuristic settings.
Basically the combat suit is a all-encompassing suit armoured against the various threats that might be assumed to exist on that futuristic battlefield such as explosives, lasers, and plasma weaponry to a greater or lesser degree.
The combat suit is at the very least able to support its wearer in hostile terrain, often vacuum or other inimical atmospheres as well as the battlefield. It usually gives the wearer enhanced strength by using servopowered links and there are usually sensors built into the suit that allow the wearer to take advantage of different frequency ranges in the electromagnetic spectrum. Also sometimes built in are weapons that would not usually be considered to be 'man' portable.
If you play Warhammer 40,000 you will be familiar with the Imperial Space Marines and their equivilents from the other races - these are armoured in some of the more capable combat suits in SF.
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