Ok, so maybe it’s not an Iron Man suit, but the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s “Warrior Web aims to develop a soft, lightweight undersuit that would help reduce injuries and fatigue and improve Soldiers’ ability to efficiently perform their missions.” And, they want to do it using no more than 100 watts of power.
DARPA seeks proposals in the following technology areas:
Integrated advanced control systems across multiple joints
Materials, fabrics, structures, sensors, sensor interfaces and human factors associated with developing conforming, assistive wearable technologies
Technologies that significantly reduce the potential for acute or chronic injury of a wearer under typical warfighter mission profile situations
Technologies that increase physical capabilities and/or endurance of humans during activities such as running, lifting, climbing, carrying a load, marksmanship, etc.
Additional assistive wearable technologies for rehabilitation, physical therapy or those intended to help improve quality of life for the aging population
“Many of the individual technologies currently under development show real promise to reduce injury and fatigue and improve endurance,” said LTC Joseph Hitt, DARPA program manager for Warrior Web. “Now we’re aiming to combine them—and hopefully some new ones, too—into a single system that nearly every Soldier could wear and would provide decisive benefits under real-world conditions.”
Warrior Web has already undergone Task A which focused on developing a mix of core component technologies worn at the ankles, hips, knees and upper body. Next is Task B which will bring it all together.
DARPA has scheduled a Warrior Web Task B Proposers’ Day for potential performers on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013. The Special Notice for the Proposers’ Day is available at http://go.usa.gov/jJjT and more information is available here. The Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Warrior Web Task B is available at http://go.usa.gov/jJbR.
Tags: DARPA
They just don’t get it. Stop putting more shit on the backs of troops! I don’t care how good the idea sounds in their offices and controlled climate labs, weight=pain down range.
Yes, lets not pursue advances to help the physical tolls on the individual warfighter at all…
(This was an example of sarcasm)
Did you even read the article Kennard?
Great now make a pair of pants that the crotch dose not blow out every time I take a knee.
A-F’ing-MEN. how many millions on this? Yet they can’t make a set of pants that last bounding to an assault
I can see how these things could come in handy years from now when they are more developed and made very durable. It could cut back on injuries involving the back, shoulders, and joints etc.
Maybe it will be similar to other technology widely used today that were scoffed at years ago as being impractical or too fragile for use.
Whether or not this helps the physical tolls on the warfighter, it will do nothing but dramatically increase combat load WHEN it breaks. Some cool-guy leg braces may help Joe hump 200 lbs, but when the cool-guy leg braces break down, Joe is stuck with a 200 lbs ruck, plus whatever his now useless super legs weigh.
Too much nerdery from DARPA that is not helping the warfighter.
To few people have caught on to this fine print. They aren’t designing legs to help the grunt hump his already hundred pound “35lbs” combat load. They are designing one for him to carry more. I can only imagine what the actual weight of the “105lbs improved carrier system” weight will be. If I had to guess based solely on my experience in the infantry, it’ll be just less than 10% over the max weight of the system.