Human Universal Load Carrier, or HULC, is an un-tethered, hydraulic-powered anthropomorphic

exoskeleton An exoskeleton () . is a skeleton that is on the exterior of an animal in the form of hardened integument, which both supports the body's shape and protects the internal organs, in contrast to an internal endoskeleton (e.g. human skeleton, that ...

developed by Professor H. Kazerooni and his team at Ekso Bionics. It is intended to help

soldiers A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word ...

in combat carry a load of up to 200 pounds at a top speed of 10 miles per hour for extended periods of time. After being under development at Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory since 2000, the system was announced publicly at the AUSA Winter Symposium on February 26, 2009, when an exclusive licensing agreement was reached with

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American Arms industry, defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta on March 15, 1995. It is headquartered in North ...

. Although the exoskeleton is powered and can be used, the project was a failure as it hindered certain movements and actually increased strain on muscles, going directly against what a powered exoskeleton is supposed to do.

Development

Lockheed Martin entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Ekso Bionics (formerly Berkeley Bionics) in January 2009. The program is based in Orlando Florida at the

Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control (MFC) is one of the four core business areas for American company Lockheed Martin. MFC provides air and missile defense systems; tactical missiles and air-to-ground precision strike weapon systems; logisti ...

business unit and the program manager is Jim Ni. Lockheed Martin is currently developing a new, ruggedized HULC system which will be evaluated by the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC). The upgraded HULC system includes optimized control software, extended battery life and human factors improvements for quicker and easier sizing to each user. Lockheed Martin is also exploring exoskeleton designs to support industrial and medical applications. The HULC is a lower extremity, general purpose load carriage platform. It can be adapted for specific missions such as logistics with the addition of accessories. Lockheed Martin recently released a new product card for a lift assist device that attaches to the HULC system and provides the user with power assisted lift. In May 2012, Lockheed announced a lighter and energy-efficient HULC, with power to last eight hours on marches or days just standing, would go for field tests by the Army in September. If tests went well, it could be deployed with combat troops before the end of the year. Although the HULC was tested by the Army, it was never fielded.

Funding

The US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center (NSRDEC) awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.1M contract in July 2010 for test & evaluation of upgraded HULC units. Laboratory testing is scheduled for early 2011 followed by field trials.

Technology and features

The HULC is a battery-powered, lower extremity exoskeleton. It carries up to 200 lb, distributed between the front and back of the device. Loads attach to the exoskeleton system and are carried by the exoskeleton, bypassing the human operator. The effective forces felt by the operator are dramatically diminished reducing the risk of muscular/skeletal injuries. The HULC provides power assistance at the hip and knee joint. The innovative hydraulic architecture is highly efficient enabling the system to run on batteries. Other exoskeleton systems, such as the Raytheon/

SARCOS Palladyne AI Corp. (formerly Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation) is an American company known for most of its existence primarily as a developer of robots. Palladyne was founded in 1983 as Sarcos Research Corporation. In 2023, Sarcos "pi ...

XOS 2 system are tethered to a power generator. Lockheed Martin announced that it is evaluating fuel cell power sources to increase the duration to support a 96-hour mission. HULC is also easy to put on. It arrives folded in a small package, so soldiers just have to stretch out a leg and step into foot beds underneath the boot. Straps then wrap around the thighs, waist and shoulders.

Sensors A sensor is often defined as a device that receives and responds to a signal or stimulus. The stimulus is the quantity, property, or condition that is sensed and converted into electrical signal. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a devi ...

in the foot pads relay information to an onboard

microcomputer A microcomputer is a small, relatively inexpensive computer having a central processing unit (CPU) made out of a microprocessor. The computer also includes memory and input/output (I/O) circuitry together mounted on a printed circuit board (P ...

that moves the

hydraulic system Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...

to amplify and enhance the wearer's movement. The flexibility of the system allows soldiers to run, walk, kneel, crawl, and even go into low squats. There is no joystick or control mechanism, instead sensors detect movement and, using an onboard micro-computer, make the suit move in time with the body. The system's titanium structure and hydraulic power augments the soldier's ability, strength and performance, whereas its modularity allows components to be switched and replaced with ease. Most recently, the HULC has been evaluated at the US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center in Massachusetts, US, with the upgraded system including extended battery life and optimised control software.

Applications

Lockheed Martin originally developed the HULC to assist soldiers during

combat Combat (French language, French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent Conflict (process), conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed (Hand-to-hand combat, not usin ...

. It could be used to help lift heavy loads while exerting minimal effort, with soldiers currently going into combat with up to 130 pounds of combat gear. Also, it could be used as a framework for body armor or

sensor array A sensor array is a group of sensors, usually deployed in a certain geometry pattern, used for collecting and processing electromagnetic or acoustic signals. The advantage of using a sensor array over using a single sensor lies in the fact that an ...

s that would allow for better

situational awareness Situational awareness or situation awareness, often abbreviated as SA is the understanding of an environment, its elements, and how it changes with respect to time or other factors. It is also defined as the perception of the elements in the envi ...

during combat. Lockheed Martin is also exploring exoskeleton designs to support industrial and

medical Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

applications.Lockheedmartin.com

References

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External links

* https://web.archive.org/web/20150905062410/http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/products/exoskeleton/hulc.html

* http://eksobionics.com/ekso
''Wired'' features video of it in action
Lockheed Martin Robotic exoskeletons Science and technology in the San Francisco Bay Area