PRESERVING LIVES ON THE NEW BATTLEFIELD


strength and endurance, and lessening the frequency of spinal injuries. As part of that effort, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has funded research in exoskeletal devel- opment leading to the creation of the Human Universal Load Carrier, a Lock- heed Martin Corp. prototype undergoing further development.


Health care professionals say that of the many risks dismounted Soldiers face in the field, one of the most common is injury from carrying nearly 100 pounds of gear for extended periods, often over rough terrain. DARPA’s engineers say, “Heavy loads increase the likelihood of musculo- skeletal injury and also exacerbate fatigue, contribute to both acute and chronic injury and impede Soldiers’ physical and cognitive abilities to perform mission- oriented tasks.”


TIER 2 CARE


Tier 2 Tactical Combat Casualty Care will replace what is currently known as Combat Lifesaver training, drawing on the most medically up-to-date lessons learned during the last two decades of post–9/11 combat. At Fort Benning’s Medical Simulation Training Center, medics and other experts from across the armed services practice treating “junctional” wounds. (Photo by Markeith Horace, Fort Benning Public Affairs)


DARPA envisions combining elements from various projects into a uniform exoskeletal system that nearly every Soldier could wear. Te uniform would “provide decisive benefits under real-world condi- tions,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Hitt, DARPA program manager for the Warrior Web.


Leveraging existing exoskeleton technol- ogy to help the injured warfighter maintain mobility and combat effectiveness while awaiting evacuation is of high interest to the CCCRP.


According to the RAND Corp., Russia, China and North Korea have each invested heavily in efforts to create more lethal warfighters capable of prevailing in encounters with the United States.


Imagine an otherwise incapacitated warfighter, seemingly unable even to hold a weapon, suddenly empowered to rejoin the fight and protect the unit pending


medical evacuation. It is that type of scenario that strategists and researchers are preparing for as America’s near-peer adver- saries pursue increasingly lethal weapons and tactics.


For more than 20 years, the Army has explored industrial exoskeleton technol- ogies for potential military applications: enhancing Soldier lethality by promoting


Several dozen U.S. companies are seeking to produce exoskeletal systems that strike the right balance of size, weight and free- dom of movement.


SITUATIONAL AWARENESS According to officials at USAMRDC, the U.S. Army Futures Command’s modern- ization efforts are helping the medical


76


Army AL&T Magazine


Summer 2020


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