Exoskeletons with hydraulic arms and piston powered legs are nothing terribly new, Raytheon's got a new version it showed off this summer, but this Warrior Web program proposed by DARPA is a first.
The Web is actually a suit that'll be worn under a servicemember's uniform intended to provide a host of physiological benefits.
The $2.6 million contract went to the Wyss Institute at Harvard and they hope to create something like a wetsuit that will not only protect injury prone areas, reinforce joints, assist in carrying 100 pound loads, and reduce injuries — it'll log all that data and refer it back to command.
It will also offer internal prompts to the wearer, likely letting him know, for example, when a joint is bent poorly and to modify the angle.
Hopefully the suit will reduce injuries, fatigue and allow troops to better spend their energy on staying alive.
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