Washington Post by Pranshu Verma 9/10/2022
The suit is lightweight and looks nothing like the clunky, robotic exoskeleton suits the military has wanted in the past
Futuristic military dreams of an Iron Man exoskeleton suit might be giving way for something simpler: a lightweight wearable to help with back pain.
The new suit, which weighs just three pounds, is a soft harness that soldiers strap around their shoulders and legs. Soldiers can press a button on the suit by their left shoulder, which activates the straps running along their back to help ease the burden when lifting heavy objects like artillery rounds, boxes or guns.
Its name is a mouthful, dubbed the Soldier Assistive Bionic Exosuit for Resupply, or SABER. It is developed by the U.S. Army and Vanderbilt University, and slated to be deployed in the field in 2023.
SABER is a departure from the clunky, robotic “warrior suits” the military has designed in the past, and is instead a lightweight, flexible accessory soldiers can wear while moving heavy machinery or artillery around. Creators say this approach is better, because it solves a specific problem soldiers have while not getting in the way.
More:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/09/10/army-ironman-suit-soldier-back-pain/
