Warrior Web

The Army doesn't have an Iron Man suit. Yet. But the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Warrior Web program is a step closer to developing a soft, low-powered exosuit that will augment the physical capabilities of soldiers. Worn under the uniform, the proposed suit will allow troops to carry 100-plus pounds of equipment without risking the joint and back injuries that typically accumulate in the field.

The Warrior Web program, which is also supported by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), just wrapped up its first phase in which it tested exosuit components in the lab and the outdoors, says Mike LaFiandra, Dismounted Warrior Branch chief at ARL's Human Research Engineering Directorate. In their next step, engineers will test how various pieces developed by different program participants perform when integrated into one suit. Basically, DARPA is "looking for performers to pair up and say, 'We're going to pair up this ankle with this knee' and come up with a system that they bring here to evaluate," LaFiandra says. That will take 18 to 24 months.

That first phase involved nine prototypes. By Phase II, the program was down to six, including entries from the Harvard University's Wyss Institute, Ekso Bionics (now a subsidiary of Google), and Arizona State University's Human Machine Integration Laboratory.

Arizona State University is currently developing an Air Legs-Version 2 exosuit, seen above, that allows a weighed-down soldier to sprint a mile in four minutes. The next step is to increase that range beyond one mile by switching out the backpack-mounted pneumatic actuators (which pull on cables attached to the user's knees and ankles) for more sustainable electro-mechanical devices. "We feel that that will be our next major milestone," says Human Machine Integration Laboratory researcher Jason Kerestes.

ARL is also working on the far more ambitious Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) for the U.S. Special Operations Command. But that impressive armored exoskeleton will still need to address motor control and power supply issues before it it can be built and developed. So yes, Iron Man is coming, but don't hold your breath.

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