The US military is working on creating a generation of ‘Super Soldiers’ with the help of exoskeletons. The Pentagon is investing millions of dollars in experimental exoskeleton technology to make soldiers stronger and more resilient, in what experts say is part of a broader push into advanced gear to equip a new generation of “super-soldiers.”
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Lockheed Martin and Canada-based B-TEMIA are jointly working to develop the new technology. B-TEMIA is the company which first developed exoskeletons to aid people with mobility difficulties stemming from conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and sever Osteoarthritis.
The exoskeleton is powered by battery. When worn over a pair of pants, the exoskeleton uses sensors, artificial intelligence and other technology to help natural movements.
U.S. soldiers deployed into war zones are bogged down by heavy gears such as body armor, night-vision goggles and radios. An average soldier carries anywhere from 90 to 150 pounds of weight. The recommended limit is only 50 pounds, reports Reuters.
“That means when people do show up to the fight, they’re fatigued,” says Paul Scharre at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), who helped lead a series of studies on exoskeletons and other advanced gear.
“The fundamental challenge we’re facing with infantry troops is they’re carrying too much weight.”
Lockheed Martin won a $6.9 million award from the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center to research and develop the exoskeleton, called ONYX, under a two-year, sole-source agreement.
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Keith Maxwell, the exoskeleton technologies manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said during trial the exoskeletons gave people far more endurance. “You get to the fight fresh. You’re not worn out,” he said.
Maxwell said each exoskelelton was expected to cost in the tens of thousands of dollars.
from Wearable Technologies https://ift.tt/2rmQ7Ar
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