Ms.KarenGregorczykBiomechanicsTeam,TeamLeader

NatickSoldierResearch,Development&EngineeringCenter

AugmentationTechnologiesforEnhancedPhysicalPerformance

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NatickSoldierRD&ECenter

Providing the Army with Innovative Science & Technology Solutions to Optimize the Performance of Our Soldiers.

TheSoldier'sRDEC - AssuringDominancethroughSuperiorScientific&EngineeringExpertise.

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Only Active Army Installation in New EnglandBirthplace of the Army

NatickSoldierSystemsCenter

78 Acres459,000 Sq. Ft. of Lab Space

Total 174 Acres (including 75 Family Housing units)

NSSCPartnersResearch&TechnologyCollaborators

Product/ProjectManagersDevelopmentPartners

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Airdrop/AerialDelivery

WarfighterProtection,Survivability,andOptimization

ExpeditionaryBasing/Collective

Protection

JointServiceCombatFeeding

SoldierSystemsEngineering

MissionAreas• PerformanceNutrition

• JointFoodserviceequipment

• Mission-tailoredrations

• SmallUnitSustainmentSystems

• Airbeam Shelters• ForceProvider

Subsystems

• Clothing&IndividualEquipment

• BodyArmor• Helmets• Boots• HumanSciences

• JPADS• HelicopterSlingLoad• T-11Engineering

Support

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LeadingtheResearch,Development,TestandEvaluationtounderstand,assessandcharacterizetheimpactsthattheClothingandIndividualEquipment(gear)and

missiontaskshaveontheSoldierandSquad'sphysicalandcognitiveperformance

UnderstandSoldierasaSystem

PhysicalAnthropology

HumanFactors Biomechanics

CognitiveSciences

DiversescientificfieldsunitedbyacommonfocusonoptimizingtheSoldierasasystem,encompassingmind,body,andequipment

NSRDECHumanSciencesResearch

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HumanAugmentationforMilitaryUse

theness.com gopaultech.com

robotshop.com

Express.howstuffworks.com

news.cnet.com

Gizmag.com

Bionic-power.com

SpringActive Inc

Militaryaerospace.com

NSRDECHumanAugmentationPast

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BLEEX

EXOHIKER

XOS OLAD PROWLER

HULC

NSRDECRoundTable/FEA

WarriorWeb

2012201020052001 201520132014

TALOSNSRDECMKI

Developedabetterappreciationofthechallenge:Thehumanbodyisveryefficientatwhatitdoesandismuchmorecomplexandelegantthansyntheticcounterparts

2017

DEPHYExoBoot

CarnegieMellon

Whatdoessuccesslooklike?

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Depends…

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ExampleofMethodsforAssessingHATechnologies

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• Assessmentoffitandsizingschemes• Measurementsmadeofbodyanddevicedimensionsandtheir

relationships• RepeatedMeasuresDesign:withandwithoutdevices,walkingat

controlledspeedsonthelevelandupanddowngradescarryingvariousloadweightsforperiodsrangingfrom~15minto~120min

• Measurementsmadeofenergycost,heartrate,groundreactionforce,gaitparameters(e.g.,stridelengthandrate),bodyangles(e.g.,forwardleanofthetrunk)

• Monitoringofdeviceoperation• Powerusage,powerproduction

• Administrationofquestionnairesandstructuredinterviews• Acquireopinionsonpositiveandnegativefeaturesofdevice,

acceptabilityformilitaryuse,missionscenariosinwhichthedevicemighthelporhinderoperations,suggestedmodificationsandimprovements.

• Inertialproperties(mass,momentofinertia,centerofmass)ofthedeviceandload(ifattached)mustbetakenintoconsideration

• Affectsuser’sbalance,dynamicstability,andgaitmechanics.• Strivetomaintainnaturalgaitmechanicsandaccommodategaittransitions

anddynamicmovementsoutofthesagittalplane• Standingtowalking,walkingtorunning,cuttingtotheleftorright,

etc.• Reducemetaboliccostandmuscularfatigueascomparedtocarryingloads,

performingmission/taskwithoutthedevice• Limitdiscomfortatattachment/loadtransferpoints

• Chaffing,hotspots,pressurepoints,etc.• Shouldnotsubstantiallyincreasetheuser’sthermalburden• Shouldincludesafetymechanisms

• Hardstopsatjointstopreventhyperextension• Fail-safemodeintheeventofpowerfailureorotherdevice

malfunctionsuchthattheweightofthedeviceandloadattachedtoitisnottransferredtotheuserinaharmfulway

DeviceDesignConsiderations

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MilitarySpecificDesignConsiderations

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• FitSoldier-userpopulationandrangesofbodydimensions• Devicemustoperateunderaustereconditions(MOSdependent)• Basicmilitarymovementsmustbepreserved

• Running,jumping,weaponfiring,assumingproneposition,kneeling,etc.

• Mustbecompatiblewithclothingandindividualequipmentandmilitaryvehicles• Useablewithbodyarmorandload-carriagegear• Nointerference(i.e.,EMI)thatmayimpedetheuseof

electronics/radios• Minimizenoisesignature• Don,adjust,anddoffthedevicequicklyandeasily,ideallywithout

assistance• Nosnaghazards– exposedcablesandstructureofdeviceitself• Userinterfacesshouldbeeasytouseandintuitive

• Training&Maintenance• Timetotrainupauser• Mosteffectivetrainingmethods(SOP)• Wearandtearandrepair

TheCurrentView

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1) HumanAugmentationisabroadandevolvingareathatismoreencompassingthanexoskeletons.Commondisciplineterminologyandtaxonomyhavenotyetbeendefined.

2) Technicalchallengesarecomplexandcenteronactuation,sensing,energysources,materials,controlstrategies,userinterfaceandtheintegrationthereof

3) Humanfactors,kinesiology,physiology,andbiomechanicsmustbeconsideredinparallelwithtechnicalsystemdevelopmentandthereislimiteddataonlongtermuse

4) Initialsuccesswillcomeinnicheapplications,focusingonspecifictasksinspecificenvironments

Wheredowegofromhere?

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• Determinedeviceperformancerequirementsbasedonmilitarymissionscenarios/taskanduserMOSs

• Establishacollaborativeeffortbetweenengineers,biomechanists,humanfactorsspecialists,anthropologists,andtheusercommunity

• Identifytheappropriatejointstoactuate,themagnitudeofactuationandthetimingoftheactuationneededforagiventasktooptimizehumanperformance

• Developcontrolstrategiesthatcandetectuserintention,transitionalstates(e.g.,walktorun)andothernonsteady-statemovements(movingoverdifficultterrain)

• Enhance/developbettermodelingandsimulationtoolstoaidwiththedesignanddevelopmentofwearableexoskeletons

• DevelopstandardizedmethodologiesandperformancemetricstoaccessHAtechnologiesformilitary(TPAwithARL-HRED)

• Understandthelong-termimplicationsofusingHAsystems• DoesHAreduceinjuriesoverthelongterm• Prescribedusetomaintainstrengthyetreducelikelihoodofinjury

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