The HULC -- gives US soldiers super strength.

The HULC -- gives US soldiers super strength.

An exoskeleton is being developed by Lockheed Martin to enable combat soldiers to carry two hundred points at a top speed of up to ten miles per hour! The Human Universal Load Carrier or HULC gives the wearer the ability to have this "super strength and endurance" for nearly 100 hours thanks to a novel exoskeleten design powered by lithium Ion Batteries.

Stronger, faster and harder is the promise of a new exoskeleton developed by Lockheed Martin for U.S. soldiers. Dubbed the Human Universal Load Carrier, or HULC, the device helps a soldier carry up to 200 pounds at a top speed of 10 mph.

"The soldier has the feeling of maybe an extra five to 10 pounds," said Doug Medcalf, Business Development Manager at Lockheed Martin. Today some soldiers are carrying loads of up to 130 pounds into combat.
SOURCE: Discovery.com

Military technology might never replace the infantryman on the ground but it certainly looks as if he will be in store for a number of upgrades in tactics and abilities.

reply to post by benevolent tyrant


Remember the loader from the film 'Aliens'?

And before that, these things were in stories from the Sci-Fi comic '2000AD'.

Funny how Sci-Fi and reality go hand in glove isn't it.

spikey.

The concept of an exoskeleton for military purposes is certainly not a new idea. The exoskeleton concept, as the post by Spikey noted, was certainly illustrated in the film,Alien II where an exoskelton was used as a sort of intergalactic fork-lift. The concept of using an exoskeleton for combat troops has been an element of science-fiction and now it is becoming reality. Exoskeletons have certainly been researched for military use but, it would seem, power issues were a major factor. Lockheed's press release seems to make note of the fact that their new HULC -- human universal load carrier -- is "completely un-tethered", that is to say, it's not 'plugged' in! The Lockheed Martin site goes into a bit more detail on this development

The HULC is a completely un-tethered, hydraulic-powered anthropomorphic exoskeleton that provides users with the ability to carry loads of up to 200 lbs for extended periods of time and over all terrains. Its flexible design allows for deep squats, crawls and upper-body lifting. There is no joystick or other control mechanism. The exoskeleton senses what users want to do and where they want to go. It augments their ability, strength and endurance. An onboard micro-computer ensures the exoskeleton moves in concert with the individual. Its modularity allows for major components to be swapped out in the field. Additionally, its unique power-saving design allows the user to operate on battery power for extended missions. The HULC’s load-carrying ability works even when power is not available.
SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Press Release

Lockheed Martin HULC photo

Lockheed Martin HULC video

Lockheed Martin HULC product card .pdf

Originally posted by benevolent tyrant
The concept of an exoskeleton for military purposes is certainly not a new idea.

How could it be when various creatures have been using exoskeletons for survival and "warfare" for eons? We, the soft fleshed distant cousin, have finally managed to create the means by which we can bypass nature and endow ourselves with such characteristics and abilities.

Soon we will have Halo Master Chiefs walking around

Aliens 2? Try starship troopers, the novel, from the 50s.

The concept of powered exoskeletons is Ye Olde. Only recently have computers and energy storage technology gotten advanced enough for it to work, though.

I'd be interested in the power systems of these things.

Li-Ion batteries eh? That can propel it's own weight, the weight of the operator inside and a 200lb load for up to 100 hours?

Now that's a battery!

Where can i get a few?

spikey.

edit to add: Ahh..just saw the video, it's not the version i saw on youtube a month or two ago. This is a lot smaller than what i saw (the thing on youtube did look a bit like the loader from Alien II.
Nice neat design though. All the need to do now, is encase it in light armour to resist small arms, and voila, a battle suit.

[edit on 9-4-2009 by spikey]

Ion Lithium batteries have certainly enabled a new era of technology to open up..... I note the use of Ion Lithium batteries in the new lines of power tools that have been introduced over the past few years: i.e., power drills. Lighter weights, higher energy outputs, shorter recharging times and longer discharge rates means that we will probably be seeing considerable developments in the military uses of technology for the basic fighting infantryman.

I should note that from what was able to glean from the Lockheed Martin Product Card, the power for (almost) 100 hours of HULC system usage comes from not one but eight Ion Lithium batteries. I could not find more details on the size of the batteries or their weight. I'm only hoping that the exoskeleton isn't necessary to carry all the batteries needed to power itself!

it's funny to think how far technology has come, the first people that thought of the idea to make a suit that would protect the person inside would never dream for it to become reality, the suit will keep the soldiers protected.