Jared Keller
Following decades of failed attempts and dashed dreams, the US Army is once again trying out powered exoskeletons to help soldiers haul munitions and equipment in the field.
After decades of research and development, the United States Army is taking yet another run at developing a powered exoskeleton to help soldiers carry heavy loads on the battlefield—but don’t expect a futuristic suit of combat armor straight out of Starship Troopers or Iron Man anytime soon.
Soldiers assigned to the Army’s 1-78 Field Artillery Battalion training unit at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, recently completed a three-day “proof of concept” evaluation of several off-the-shelf “exoskeleton suits” in late September and early October, officials confirmed to WIRED. The evaluation was overseen by the service’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), the organization responsible for developing new technology for soldiers.
Official photos from the evaluation published to social media showed Advanced Individual Training students hauling artillery shells to and from a M109 Paladin self-propelled howitzer and M777-towed howitzer with telltale black exoskeleton harnesses contrasted against their camouflage uniforms, part of a field exercise undertaken “to assess the potential of human augmentation, improve soldier performance, and determine if these exoskeletons meet the demands of our warfighters,” as the service put it.
While a DEVCOM spokesperson declined to identify which commercially produced systems were evaluated by soldiers, the Army announced its intent in August to award a contract to exoskeleton maker SUITX to “give users experience of advanced soldier augmentation technologies,” according to a government notice. “This exoskeleton will serve as a critical tool for evaluating the potential benefits of robotic assistance in increasing soldier endurance, strength, and overall operational effectiveness.”
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