From the battlefield via the factory floor to the orthopaedic clinic, artificial bones and muscles worn outside the body are providing help and protection
SOLDIERS kitted up in expectation of their first taste of combat often reflect on how much of their bodies a bulletproof jacket and helmet do not cover. About 81%, it turns out. More armour than this would be impractically heavy. Indeed, many soldiers already carry at least 50kg of kit and supplies, which is more than double what America’s Army Science Board advises as the limit if damage to a soldier’s skeleton and musculature is to be avoided.
The answer, many suggest, is a second, external skeleton, complete with artificial muscles, that would let its wearer carry far more weight without strain. Such exoskeletons, moreover, are no longer the stuff of science fiction. Interest in their uses, both on and off the battlefield, is growing.
One of the most advanced is the Kinetic Operations Suit (KOS) made by Revision Military, a firm in Vermont. For a soldier this triples his armour-protection while adding little burden to his movement. An artificial articulated spine transfers most of the weight of the suit’s helmet (which fully encases the wearer’s head) to armour on his shoulders. The weight of the armour protecting his torso is similarly transferred to his hips and legs through another section of artificial spine. All this reduces strain on his neck and lower back, the natural skeleton’s weakest links. His legs must still bear the extra weight, however. To assist with this, the KOS uses titanium-aluminium shafts which are strapped, along with armour, to his lower limbs. Electric motors, taking their cue from accelerometers and other sensors embedded in the suit, move these shafts in step with the way the soldier moves his legs.
According to Brian Dowling, a former special-forces soldier in the American army who works for Revision Military, the system is both nimble enough and robust enough to help its wearer run, fully laden, across uneven terrain. The armies of several countries, America’s included, are now evaluating such claims.
A second military exoskeleton, more ambitious even than KOS, is being developed by the special forces themselves. This project’s contractors include many of the most famous names of America’s defence establishment, such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. Intriguingly, they also include Legacy Effects, the firm that designed the exoskeletons which feature in the “Iron Man” science-fiction films. The device these firms have come up with is called the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, a name crafted to yield the acronym TALOS, the ancient Greek name of a mythical animated bronze statue.
TALOS will weigh twice as much as the soldier inside it. The components contributing to this weight will, however, make it bullet- and shrapnel-proof. They will also offer its wearer a cooling system; a set of sensors that monitor his physiology; and superhuman strength. The result, according to General Joseph Votel, head of the Special Operations Command, will be “peerless tactical capability”.
Read more: Human exoskeletons – Full metal jacket
The Latest on: Human exoskeletons
via Google News
The Latest on: Human exoskeletons
- Helping soft robots turn rigid on demandon March 3, 2021 at 1:22 pm
While robots armored with hard exoskeletons are common, they're not always ideal. Soft-bodied robots, inspired by fish or other squishy creatures, might better adapt to changing environments and work ...
- Ekso Bionics Teams Up with Performance Contracting, Inc. for Innovative Testing Approach of EVO(TM) Technologyon March 3, 2021 at 9:46 am
Detailed price information for Ekso Bionics Holdings Inc (EKSO-Q) from The Globe and Mail including charting and trades.
- Ekso Bionics Teams Up with Performance Contracting, Inc. for Innovative Testing Approach of EVO™ Technologyon March 3, 2021 at 5:09 am
Ekso Bionics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: EKSO) (the “Company”), an industry leader in exoskeleton technology for medical and industrial use, today announced that Performance Contracting, Inc. (“PCI”), a ...
- Ekso Bionics Teams Up with Performance Contracting, Inc. for Innovative Testing Approach of EVO Technologyon March 3, 2021 at 5:00 am
Ekso Bionics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: EKSO) (the “Company”), an industry leader in exoskeleton technology for medical and industrial use, today announced that Performance Contracting, Inc. (“PCI”), a ...
- Real Life Super Soldiers? They Could Be on the Horizonon March 2, 2021 at 6:00 pm
To some extent, we’re already seeing mankind become more intimate with technology.” So who will have a super soldier serum first? It seems unlikely that anyone will field a single injection or ...
- Ekso Bionics to Present at the H.C. Wainwright Global Life Sciences Conferenceon March 2, 2021 at 5:15 am
Ekso Bionics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: EKSO), an industry leader in exoskeleton technology for medical and industrial use, today announced that Jack Glenn, Chief Financial Officer, will present at the H ...
- Sarcos Robotics Named 2021 Product Innovation Award Winner by IEEE Robotics and Automation Society for the Guardian XO Exoskeletonon March 1, 2021 at 9:13 am
Sarcos Robotics Named 2021 Product Innovation Award Winner by IEEE Robotics and Automation Society for the Guardian XO Exoskeleton ...
- Exoskeleton Market 2020-2028 Financial Insights Business Growth Strategies with Top Key Playerson February 26, 2021 at 9:54 am
The Exoskeleton Market Share is expected to exceed more than US$ 2.5 Billion by 2024 at a CAGR of 24% in the given ...
- Paramount partners with Sarcos Robotics to offer exoskeletons and military robotson February 25, 2021 at 2:01 am
Paramount Group and US-based Sarcos Robotics have announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to bring robotic systems to government and industrial customers in the Middle East and Africa. The ...
- Growing demand in the healthcare sector for orthopedic rehabilitation fuels the growth in the global exoskeletons marketon February 24, 2021 at 10:24 pm
According to a new market research report Exoskeleton Market by Product Type Soft and Rigid Power Type Powered and Passive Body Type Complete Body Upper and Lower Extremities Mobility Stationary and ...
via Bing News