Power-multiplying exoskeletons are slimming down for use on the battlefield
The technology has been long-anticipated by military commanders.
By Eric Adams 7 hours ago
With exoskeletons, soldiers don’t have to consume as much oxygen to perform a given task. Taking that
edge off has associated benefits, including cutting the risk of bone and muscle injuries.
Lockheed Martin
Dashing around a battlefield in the bulky robo-armor Tom Cruise wore in Edge of Tomorrow won't cut it in the real world. For starters, it’s way too big. And the energy required to power something that size—via a gas engine strapped to your back in some early inventor iterations—is noisy and a giveaway to the enemy that you’re approaching.
But a raft of newly developed exoskeletons is starting to meet the slimmed-down, stealth requirements of today’s troop commanders, who see these power-assisting suits as vital to the future combat missions. Among the most promising, and weird-looking, is the “third arm” that the U.S. Army Research Laboratory developed to help soldiers carry and support their weapons on the battlefield. The lightweight device, which weighs less than four pounds and hangs at a soldier’s side, stabilizes rifles and machine guns, which can weigh up to 27 pounds. This improves shooting accuracy and also minimizes fatigue. It can even be used while scrambling into position on the ground.
The kind of fatigue that the third arm aims to negate is a killer on the battlefield, and most of the new suits are similarly meant to help troops minimize the energy they use to carry enormous supply packs, weapons and other battlefield gear. In May, Lockheed Martin unveiled its lightest weight powered exo for lower body support. Dubbed ONYX, the form-fitting suit, which resembles an unobtrusive web of athletic braces, reduce the effort soldier’s need for walking, running, and climbing over varied terrain while carrying a heavy loads of up to 100 pounds.
The suit uses tracking sensors, mechanical knee actuators, and artificial intelligence-based software that predicts joint movement, all of which reduce stress on the lower back and the legs. It uses both rigid and flexible components, which fit snugly to make it more comfortable, and is meant to augment the user’s capabilities rather than do any of the actual work for him or her. “The system’s on-board computer uses an artificial intelligence algorithm to read and interpret motion sensors placed in key locations through the exoskeleton,” explains Keith Maxwell, Lockheed’s senior exoskeleton program manager. “ONYX tracks how the leg moves, understands the motion and provides a boost, assisting the knee at just the right time. This reduces stress on the lower extremities, increases stamina and improves endurance.”
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