A new kind of warfighting technology was inveiled by security company Lockheed Martin at the recent Association of the United States' Army Winter Symposium in Florida. It's not a weapon, or a new kind of vehicle. But it could be a soldier's new best friend. The Human Universal Load Carrier (yes, it's a HULC suit) is a powered exo-skeleton designed to increase a soldier's load carrying capacity while deployed on foot. As a great deal of a soldier's fatigue and even potential for injury comes from the large loads they are forced to carry, the HULC allows even greater weights to be carried, and with less risk. "With our enhancements to the HULC system, soldiers will be able to carry loads up to 200 pounds with minimal effort," said Rich Russell, director of the extremely cool-named Sensors, Data Links and Advanced Programs at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "Lockheed Martin is developing an entire line of ground Soldier technologies that will improve Warfighters' ability to effectively complete their missions." The HULC suit features battery powered, titanium re-inforced leg struts that allow load to be transferred directly to the ground, while an onboard computer handles the syncing of the exo-skeleton's movement with its user. The HULC (HULC! HULC!) allows a full range of squats, crawls and upper-body lifting, and is hydraulic powered. ( www.atomicmpc.com.au )
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