The United States Army is looking into a way to carry heavy weapons that will definitely look familiar to science fiction fans. The Army is testing a weapons mount straight out of the movie Aliens, one capable of taking the weight of a light machine gun.

The Army Research Lab, located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is working on a waist-mounted, articulated arm that can carry a M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. The device consists of an articulated arm connected to a wearable harness, with a total weight of 3.5 pounds. The device can carry items up to 27 pounds, the weight of a loaded SAW, or 20-pound defensive shield to protect the holder from gunfire.

In the movie Aliens, a heavily-armed U.S. Colonial Marine platoon is sent to investigate the colony of Hadley's Hope on planetoid Acheron LV-426 in 2179, and the unit’s machine gunners carry their M56 Smart Guns on a harness nearly identical purpose to the design being refined at ARL. The fictional smart gun, with its high rate of fire is nearly identical in role to today’s M249.

US Army

According to ARL, engineers started brainstorming in 2015 looking to increase the lethality of dismounted soldiers. A prototype was completed in 2016. The arm is meant to reduce muscle fatigue and create a stable firing platform for heavy, high recoil weapons. Some other key problems engineers are addressing are making the arm useable by a wide range of body types and balancing the entire harness and arm system against the soldier’s weight. The current version uses carbon fiber to replace component weight.

In 2017, six soldiers tested the arm, fitted with electromyography sensors to measure muscle activity. ARL mechanical engineer Dan Baechle explained on the U.S. Army web site, "We found that it reduced the fatigue and reduced the muscle activation for some Soldiers." The ARL also collected data on how soldiers were using their muscles with the third arm compared to without it.

Oddly enough, ARL scientists have actually improved upon the technology of 2179. In the film, the arm harness is attached to the gunner’s waist. The Army’s arm harness also originally attached to the waist, but soldiers had problems with the device and the harness was moved to the soldier’s back. Even better, the arm is a high-tech item that doesn’t demand a power source, and won't add batteries or a power generation scheme to the soldier’s load.

The 'Alien Movie Arm,' as the harness is undoubtedly destined to be known as, is still undergoing testing to improve ergonomics and aiming accuracy.



It seems likely that some form of the arm will eventually make it out to the troops. When it does, soldiers who carry the Army’s heavy weapons will be able to carry their weapons longer and with less fatigue, staying rested for the the fight—just like the alien-slaying soldiers of 2179.

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