“The military has been working on several exoskeletal suits that could help soldiers carry their 100-pound loads more easily while reducing the all-to common risk of musculoskeletal injuries and making use of a variety of sensors. They’re sometimes referred to as “Iron Man suits” to give people a quick point of reference, even though nobody will use them to fly around the world with rocket boots that magically don’t seem to require a tank of fuel. But they might be able to run a four-minute mile.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Warrior Web program has been developing a lightweight undersuit since 2011, primarily to reduce the risk of injury by making a soldier’s load feel lighter. But in the course of developing devices to assist muscle movement, researchers are considering the possibility that the suit could increase speed, according to an Army report.
“We’re assessing new technologies that could even allow a soldier to run a four-minute mile,” said Lt. Col. Joe Hitt, who until recently was Warrior Web program manager. “For example, we have components such as motors and springs integrated into a suit which will augment the work performed by the muscles in the legs. This may be a pathway to enhancing performance.”
“The theory behind it is if you can provide enough force to the runner, you could probably have them do a four-minute mile,” said Michael LaFiandra, chief of the Dismounted Warrior Branch at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, which with DARPA has tested nine Warrior Web prototypes during the first program’s first phase. “We’re skeptical because we’re researchers and it’s part of our job to question everything. But, they’re bringing the technology here. They want to demonstrate this four-minute mile concept and we’re hopeful that they can do it.””
Source: DefenseSystems
