Combat load

There's a never-ending debate in the infantry: how much can a soldier hump before he or she is carrying too much to fight? Or, more technically, what's the optimal combat load?

Interestingly, someone at The Canadian Press thought the topic interesting enough to write a decent article about it, in the context of modernizing the Canadian soldier:

Palmer, a former infantry officer with 35 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, now works in the army's Directorate of Land Requirements unit that develops equipment for foot soldiers -- everything from boots to helmets and all the gee-whiz stuff such as visors with jet fighter-style heads-up displays and holographic gun sights.

He is closely involved with the directorate's Integrated Soldier System Project, which aims to create that futuristic warrior before the end of the next decade.

The federal Treasury Board is to decide this month whether to approve release of the first slice of money to fund the $310-million program, which would involve defining what the system's initial capability should be and testing the solutions with Canadian soldiers.

The project envisions the soldier at the centre of a personal network, electronically linking everything from his radio and global-positioning unit, a PDA, remote sensors and vision aids, even the electronic sighting device on his weapon.

...

"If the soldier does not believe that the item that you're giving him is worth carrying, he'll chuck it. It will get left behind," says Palmer.

"So in the context of soldier acceptance, all of these pieces of electronic equipment have to pass the litmus test of 'Is it worth my personal energy and effort to carry it for the advantage that it's going to give me."

Here's something the folks at The CP didn't catch, though. At the beginning of May this year, PWGSC put out an Opportunity Abstract on MERX:

Title: DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING SOLDIER MOBILITY

Defence R&D Canada - Atlantic (DRDC Atlantic) requires a contractor to examine various technologies for improving soldier mobility, such as exoskeletons, and demonstrate the technologies through the development of components and systems. The use of smart materials in these systems will also be considered.

The work will begin immediately upon award and completion is expected on or before 31 January 2011.

The requirement is subject to a preference for Canadian goods and/or services.

Bid evaluation will be based on point rated evaluation criteria. The responsive bid with the highest total overall points will be recommended for award of a contract, provided that the price does not exceed the budget available for the requirement, i.e. $25,000.00 (applicable taxes extra) for the Task 1 - Literature Review and Way Ahead Plan and $179,000.00 (applicable taxes extra) for the balance of the requirement... [Babbler's emphasis]

For those who haven't already seen it, this isn't science fiction - check out the Raytheon Sarcos exoskeleton:



From the Raytheon website:

Raytheon Company’s newest research facility in Salt Lake City, Utah, is developing a robotic suit for the soldier of tomorrow. Known as the Exoskeleton, it’s essentially a wearable robot that amplifies its wearer’s strength, endurance, and agility. In its May issue, Popular Science magazine likens the Exoskeleton to the “Iron Man”® in the movie of the same name and suggests a blurring of the lines between science fiction and reality.

Built from a combination of sensors, actuators and controllers, the futuristic suit enables a user to easily carry a man on his back or lift 200 pounds several hundred times without tiring. Yet the suit, which is being developed for the U.S. Army, is also agile enough to let its wearer kick a soccer ball, punch a speed bag, and climb stairs and ramps with ease.

Dr. Stephen Jacobsen leads this project and the Raytheon Sarcos team. He feels his work is a combination of art, science, engineering and design. “People call it different things. Sometimes they call it inventing, sometimes they call it engineering. Sometimes they call it being a mad scientist. To us, it’s the process of getting together, understanding the problems, goals, and then designing something to satisfy the need.” Development of the Exoskeleton has been underway since 2000, when Jacobsen realized that if humans could work alongside robots, they should also be able to work inside robots.

Fascinating stuff. And providing it actually facilitates a more effective infantry soldier by increasing essential capabilities, instead of just adding one more piece of kit that can break down and screw up a mission, then I'm all for looking into it.