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The US military is investing millions of dollars in experimental exoskeleton technology to strengthen soldiers and help them resist, which experts say is part of a larger initiative to equip a new generation of super-soldiers. "
Lockheed Martin Corp is developing this technology with a Canadian-based license from B-TEMIA, which first developed the exoskeletons to help people with mobility problems such as multiple sclerosis and MS. Severe osteoarthritis.
Worn over pants, the battery-powered exoskeleton uses a series of sensors, artificial intelligence and other technologies to facilitate natural movements.
For the US military, the appeal of this technology is clear: soldiers are now deployed in war zones mired in heavy but critical equipment such as bulletproof vests, night vision goggles and advanced radios. In total, this can weigh from 40 to 64 kg, when the recommended limit is 23 kg.
"This means that when people come to fight, they are tired," said Paul Scharre at the Center for a New American Security, which helped carry out a series of studies on exoskeletons and other advanced equipment.
"The fundamental challenge we face with infantry troops is that they have too much weight."
Lockheed Martin announced Thursday that it has won a $ 6.9 million (RM 29 million) award from the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Center Natick Soldier for research and development. the development of the exoskeleton, christened ONYX, under a single-source contract of two years duration.
Keith Maxwell, Head of Exoskeleton Technologies at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said that people participating in his company's tests that wore the exoskeletons showed much more stamina.
"You get to fight fresh – you're not exhausted," Maxwell said.
Several versions
Maxwell, who introduced a prototype, said every exoskelelton should cost tens of thousands of dollars.
B-TEMIA's medical system, called Keeogo, is sold in Canada for about $ 39,000 (123,000 RMB), said company spokeswoman Pamela Borges.
The United States is not the only country to turn to exoskeleton technology.
Samuel Bendett, of the US Center for Naval Analysis (CNAS), a US-funded research and development center, said Russia and China are also investing in exoskeleton technologies, "in parallel "to American advances.
Russia, in particular, was working on several versions of exoskeletons, including the one tested recently in Syria, said Bendett. A video of a Russian version can be seen right here.
The CNAS analysis of the exoskeleton was part of a larger Washington-based think tank project on next-generation technologies that can help soldiers, better helmets to protect them from injuries caused by the explosion at the introduction of robotic "teammates" to replenish them. in war zones.
– Reuters
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