Back injuries can make people miss work or even force them to give up their jobs. These injuries may be so debilitating that even the smallest movement causes excruciating pain. This is especially true in the military, where personnel must endure strenuous training that lasts for hours on end, as well as tasks that require them to carry heavy loads of equipment.
Low back pain is the most common spinal disorder among soldiers, according to Military Medical Research. The same publication says that load carriage training is seen as the primary cause of these types of injuries. To address common injuries like this, the armed forces have carry out research to win its war against back pain.
Soldier Assistive Bionic Exosuit for Resupply (SABER)
SABER was developed as an unpowered light body armor designed to reduce physical demands on soldiers. The project is now getting closer to being implemented.
This is after the US Army, in collaboration with Vanderbilt University, unveiled the Soldier Assistive Bionic Exosuit for Resupply (SABER), which might be the army's version of an Iron Man suit.
The Pathfinder project, an initiative to develop Army technology and operations by partnering with universities, produced SABER. The project was boosted by $1.2 million worth of investment from the armed forces. Approximately 100 soldiers have already tested the suit at three different Army bases in the United States.
A report from Forbes tells us that SABER will soon be transferred from the Pathfinder program to the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM). DEVCOM will fund Vanderbilt University and HeroWear to prepare the exosuit for production and field use.
According to the US Army, the lightweight suit design addresses back pain that soldiers get from strenuous lifting tasks such as ammunition resupply. SABER is also aiming to reduce injury and fatigue, both of which are critical to sustained readiness among troops.
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The new suit, which weighs only three pounds, is a soft harness that soldiers wrap around their shoulders and legs, as reported by the Washington Post. The exosuit is built with straps that can be activated to support their backs when carrying heavy weapons and equipment. The SABER is designed to help with lifting and help decrease back strain during military logistics operations.
SABER's designers originally intended to create a version of the suit with full-body robotic systems that could serve a variety of functions aside from back support. After realizing that the project was too heavy for both the soldiers' backs and the army's budget, this alleged military mecha was scrapped.
More About US Army's Interest in Wearable Technology
According to a Tech Times report on Sept. 2, the US Army finally gave Microsoft Corp the green light to deliver its first batch of Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) goggles. These are HoloLens mixed-reality headsets that include thermal imagery, sensors, night vision, and other features.
The same report informs us that 5,000 IVAS headsets have been cleared for delivery to military units. This comes after top military officials previously put the delivery on hold due to "concerns about the device's performance."
