China Shows Off "Super Soldiers" Equipped With Exoskeleton Suits

 

RT: Ho-ho-hiss: Chinese troops in EXOSKELETONS deliver New Year presents to Himalayan outpost (Video) 

The Chinese military has shown off its recently delivered exoskeletons, using them to deliver Lunar New Year supplies to a remote border outpost in Tibet. Beijing is rapidly adopting the pioneering technology. 

A report on Saturday by the state broadcaster CCTV showed the new passive exoskeletons in use, helping to bring some festivity to Friday’s celebrations. The troops strapped on the smart-braces to get an extra oomph for the last leg of a supply run in China’s Ngari Prefecture. 

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Update: China Shows Off "Super Soldiers" Equipped With Exoskeleton Suits On Heavily Disputed Border (Zero Hedge) 

WNU Editor: It looks impressive.

Russia Wants 300,000 ‘Iron Man’ Soldiers For Future Wars

 

EurAsian Times: Watch: Rostec Arms Russian Troops With 300,000 ‘Ratnik’ Exoskeleton Suits For Next-Gen Warfare 

Russia may soon create a contingent of 300,000 ‘Iron Man’ soldiers for future wars.

Russia’s premier defense contractor Rostec has delivered around 300,000 exoskeleton suits to the country’s military. 

The technology involved in these suits enables them to carry heavy equipment without affecting their movement. 

Known as ‘Ratnik combat outfits’, these suits have been supplied by the Central Research Institute of Precision Machine-Building (TsNIITochMash), which is a part of Rostec, over a period of eight years.

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WNU Editor: It looks like the U.S. military's exoskeleton program has problems .... The inside story behind the Pentagon’s ill-fated quest for a real-life ‘Iron Man’ suit (Task & Purpose). 

Update: Is this the future? .... France Says Its Developing Bionic Supersoldiers Because "Everyone Else Is Doing It" (Zero Hedge).

Chinese Soldiers Are Using 'Exoskeleton Suits' On The Himalayan Border

Chinese People’s Liberation Army border defense troops wear exoskeleton suits near Eastern Ladakh region. 

Asia Times: PLA using ‘exoskeleton suits’ on Himalayan border 

The high-tech 'Iron Man' suit is reportedly effective in missions such as supply delivery, patrol and sentry duty 

Just when you thought, things had gotten a little carried away on China’s Himalayan front. 

Claims and counter-claims. 

Remember the report that China had used top-secret microwave weapons against Indian troops on the Ladakh Line of Actual Control (LAC)? 

And then there was the report that Indian tanks had gained all the high ground in the Himalayan border region. 

Anything and everything has been denied, by high-ranking officials on both sides. 

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 More News On Chinese Soldiers Using 'Exoskeleton Suits' On The Himalayan Border 

PLA border patrol unit in Tibet using new exoskeleton system -- Janes 

Watch: China Deploys ‘Iron Man’ Soldiers Near LAC As Its Border Conflict With India Remains Unresolved -- EurAsian Times 

Chinese army PLA border troops in Tibet receive exoskeleton -- Army Recognition

Pentagon Wants To Have Exoskeletons To Build 'Super-Soldiers'

ABC News Online: Millions invested in exoskeleton technology to help US military create 'super soldiers'

The US Army appears to be working towards creating a new generation of "super soldiers" with new exoskeleton technology, designed to make troops stronger and more resilient.

Worn over a pair of pants, the battery-operated exoskeleton uses a ranged of sensors, artificial intelligence and other technology to aid natural movements.

The goal is to lighten the load for soldiers, who are deployed into war zones bogged down by heavy but critical gear such as body armour, night-vision goggles and advanced radios.

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WNU Editor: The U.S. military are not the only ones who want to create super soldiers .... China’s 2nd Generation Military Exoskeleton System as Good as US One.

More News On The Pentagon's Exoskeleton Project

Pentagon looks to exoskeletons to build 'super-soldiers' -- Reuters
US Army eyeing advanced gear for its next-gen soldiers -- Straits Times
US Army NSRDEC awards contract to Lockheed for ONYX exoskeleton -- Army Technology
Lockheed Martin secures U.S. Army Onyx exoskeleton development agreement -- Army Recognition
US Army to Use Exoskeletons to Build ‘Super-Soldiers’ (VIDEO) -- Sputnik

A Military Exoskeleton Race Is On Between Russia And The U.S.

The Ratnik-3 exoskeleton from Russian weapons maker TsNiiTochMash.

Patrick Tucker, Defense One: Russia, US Are In A Military Exoskeleton Race

A look at the Iron Man-like dreams and power-starved realities of dueling technology programs.

The Russian suit, Ratnik-3, is an imposing web of hexagonal armor plates, black webbing, and small joint motors called actuators. Oleg Faustov, an engineer working with weapons maker TsNiiTochMash, told Russian media outlet TASS this week that the government had already tested a prototype.

“It really enhances a serviceman’s physical abilities. For example, the tester was able to shoot from a machine-gun only with one hand and accurately hit targets,” he said at Russia’s recent Army-2018 weapons show.

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WNU Editor: What was once science fiction .... is now reality.

U.S. Army Reveals A 'Third Arm' Exoskeleton For Soldiers

Washington Times: Army releases footage of 'third arm' prototype resembling 'Aliens'-like tech

The U.S. Army Research Laboratory has released footage of a new “third arm” prototype for troops that shows the usefulness of exoskeletons on the battlefield.

Infantrymen have been required to “shoot, move and communicate” while carrying heavy weapons throughout history, but future conflicts are primed to lessen the load with exoskeletons. A glimpse into the future was provided this week with a video uploaded to ARL’s YouTube channel.

“It’s really falling into line with some of the new priorities that are coming from higher up in the Army now with the modernization effort,” ARL engineer Dan Baechle said Tuesday. “I think exoskeletons are explicitly mentioned in some of the priority documents from the Army. In the future, I hope that third arm, or what we learn from third arm, will lead to a fielded device that improves outcomes from the dismounted soldier. It improves lethality, it improves survivability.”

ARL’s video includes footage of testing from Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. Troops trained with 22-pound M249 and 25-pound M240B machine guns attached to the device.

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More News On The U.S. Army Revealing A 'Third Arm' Exoskeleton For Soldiers

Army researchers envision 'third arm' for Soldiers -- US Army
Army Tests Mechanical 'Third Arm' to Ease Weapon Weight -- Kit Up!/Military.com
Need a hand? US Army reveals 'third arm' exoskeleton that could help soldiers hit the perfect shot every time -- Daily Mail
You Can Finally Watch The Army’s ‘Third Arm’ Exoskeleton In Action -- Task & Purpose
Everything you need to know about the Army's 'third arm' -- We Are The Mighty

Advances Conitnue To Be Made For Soldiers To Be Equipped With Exoskeletons

Lockheed Martin

National Interest: The Army Could Soon Have 'Super Soldiers' Thanks to Exoskeletons

Engineers report that FORTIS reduces the amount of energy required to perform a task by nine percent, using on-board AI to learn the gait of an individual soldier. The system integrates an actuator, motor and transmission all into one device, intended to provide 60 Newton Meters of additional torque, Maxwell explained. The Army is testing an exoskeleton technology which uses AI to analyze and replicate individual walk patterns, provide additional torque, power and mobility for combat infantry and enable heavier load-carrying, industry officials said.

Army evaluators have been assessing a Lockheed-built FORTIS knee-stress-release-device exoskeleton with soldiers at Fort A.P. Hill as part of a focus on fielding new performance enhancing soldier technologies.

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WNU Editor: This is the future.

Study:Lockheed Martin’s Knee Stress Release Device Exoskeleton Helps Soldiers To Better Perform

Lockheed Martin

Army-Technology: New study finds Lockheed’s exoskeleton increases mobility for troops

An independently funded study in the US has revealed that Lockheed Martin’s FORTIS knee stress release device (K-SRD) exoskeleton helps soldiers to better perform on inclined terrain.

Conducted by the University of Michigan Human Neuromechanics Laboratory, the study showed K-SRD’s potential to increase mobility for dismounted troops.

The study examined data from four trained participants, who wore exoskeleton and carried a 40lb backpack while walking at various speeds on a treadmill inclined to 15 degrees.

The report highlights that all participants showed a statistically significant reduction in exertion as compared to performing that same task without the K-SRD unit.

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WNU Editor: The tests were done on only 4 individuals .... so a bigger test sample is probably required .... as well as conducting tests in a more realistic situation instead of a treadmill. But if the results can be duplicated, the impact for soldiers when it comes to improved mobility will be tremendous.

U.S. Special Operations Hints That Its Iron Man Suit Is Taking Shape

(Photo Credit: Jen Judson/Staff)

Defense News: It’s ‘getting real’: Special Ops Iron Man suit takes shape

TAMPA, Fla. — The informally named “Iron Man” suit that U.S. Special Operations has been developing will start to come together over the next 18 months with a first prototype expected to be fully built by the end of 2018.

Formally known as the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS, Special Operations Command has spent the past four years tackling complicated technical hurdles to try to revolutionize the performance of a dismounted operator by developing the armored exoskeleton.

“It’s getting very real right now,” Col. James Miller, the director of the Joint Acquisition Task Force TALOS, said Wednesday at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference.

The team of around 35 vendors, labs and academic institutions are diving deeper on systems engineering, he said, adding, “We are going to start building parts and snapping them together” while testing for functionality and safety.

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WNU Editor: They say that it is 18 months away .... we shall see.

Why The U.S. Military Wants An Iron Man Suit

Anna Mulrine, CSM: Why does the Pentagon need an Iron Man suit?

SHIFTS IN THOUGHT The Pentagon isn't afraid to spend money on technology. But recent requests by Special Operations generals have an imminently practical element and speak to the evolving nature of American war fighting.

WASHINGTON — When the head of United States Special Operations Command said recently that he hopes his troops will someday soon be wearing super-light, super-strong exoseletons known affectionately as “Iron Man” suits, it might have sounded like a bit of classic Pentagon excess.

Cool, but outrageously expensive and a bit of a luxury item.

Then Special Forces Operatives like Paul Scharre share their experiences – in Mr. Scharre's case of coming upon a nest of Taliban at dawn in the mountains of Afghanistan – and the request begins to make more sense.

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WNU Editor: The applications for this tech are huge.

Will Russian Soldiers Be Fighting Using Exoskeletons In 5 Years?

Fiscal Times: Yikes! Putin Will Soon Have Superhuman Robo-Soldiers!

It may not be sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads, but for a leader bent on expanding his global sphere of influence, an army of soldiers equipped with mind-controlled robotic exoskeletons may be the next best thing. According to Russian media, that’s just what President Vladimir Putin’s army has in the pipeline.

On Wednesday, the headline on the government-run Sputnik News website was, “Lock and Load: Russian Hybrid Robo-Soldiers Could Be Just Five Years Away.” Russia Today, the equally servile outlet aimed at English speakers led with “Iron Man mass production? Russian army may get combat exoskeletons by 2020.” Even the more independent Moscow Times trumpeted, Russian Army May Have Superhuman Mind-Controlled Exoskeletons in 5 Years.

More News On Russian Development Of Military Exoskeletons

Lock and Load: Russian Hybrid Robo-Soldiers Could Be Just Five Years Away -- Spuntik
Iron Man mass-production? Russian army may get combat exoskeletons by 2020 -- RT
Russian Army May Have Superhuman Mind-Controlled Exoskeletons in 5 Years -- Moscow Times
Russia gets 'Edge of Tomorrow' style exoskeleton soldiers -- Sun Times
Russia’s Mind-Controlled Exoskeletons Could Be Used by the Military in Five Years -- Autoevolution