This is for
armor, not piloted robots such as
mechas, despite the fact that powered exoskeleton does cover them.
Easy to distinguish if you consider mechas have cockpits (where the
pilot usually sits) and power armor require the user to move with the armor (because of the size; excludes control mechanisms tied to mimicking user movements). Anything significantly larger than their users are bound to be mechas and anything close to human size is bound to be power armor.
The idea for power armor seems to originate from Robert A. Heinlein's
Starship Troopers (1959) novel.
Sanguine # 2008-05-01 15:53:04