TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

Exoskeletons Enhance Soldiers' Muscle Power

R. Colin Johnson | Date: 08-20-10 | Comments

Scaled-down personalized versions of the exoskeleton featured in James Cameron's movie "Alien" (in a fight between Sigourney Weaver and the extraterrestrial) as well as in Cameron's "Avatar" (again as an offensive weapon) will soon be multiplying the muscle power of U.S. soldiers.

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Exoskeletons Enhance Soldiers' Muscle Power
In nature, many species have exoskeletons�from scorpions to lobsters�but most animals, including people, have embedded skeletons that are not always up to the task at hand. Soldiers in the field, for instance, sometimes need to carry a fallen comrade over great distances, testing the limits of their muscle power. And millions are wheelchair-bound worldwide because their muscle power comes up short. Now with the help of powered exoskeletons, loads can be born that are impossible to lift with muscle alone.

Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, Md.) recently announced that its Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) exoskeleton had landed a $1.1 million contract to conduct human trials. Lockheed's HULC will enable solders to multiply their strength and endurance. According to ABI Research (Oyster Bay, N.Y.), Lockheed and other exoskeleton vendors�such as Raytheon (Waltham, Mass.), which has a rival called "Sarcos"�could end up delivering over 11,000 units by 2020, which, together with smart prostheses, could account for a total market of $292 million.

Lockheed's exoskeleton follows a soldier's every movements while bearing the weight of up to 200 pounds for 72 hours.

Lockheed HULC exoskeleton adds 53 pounds to a soldier's backpack, but it bears its own weight, plus up to 200 more pounds for treks as long as 72 hours. The HULC, which will probably sell for around $25,000, transfers the weight carried by a soldier over the exoskeleton to the ground through powered titanium legs that automatically follow the solder's every move. HULC allows the wearers to walk, run, climb, squat and crawl while bearing a load. A microcontroller tracks the motion of the wearer and drives the exoskeleton to move in concert with the operator without the need for any explicit commands from the soldier.

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