Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC), United

States of America

CONTENT

INTRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT DESIGN FEATURES POWER SUPPLY

INTRODUCTION

The Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) is an exoskeleton being developed by Lockheed Martin for dismounted soldiers.

The hydraulically-powered HULC enables soldiers to carry heavy loads with minimal strain on their body.

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DEVELOPMENT

The HULC underwent laboratory testing in October 2010, after Lockheed Martin upgraded the ruggedised system for flexibility and suitability to a variety of users.

The system was put through biomechanical, dynamic load and environmental testing.

Treadmill testing measured the decrease in metabolic cost of the user.

The system's sustainability in various environmental conditions was evaluated through sand, wind, rain, temperature and humidity testing.

The HULC's tests at the Natick Soldier Center began in June 2011.

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DESIGN

It is un-tethered and flexible enough to allow for squatting, crawling and upper-body lifting of the user.

The system weighs 53lb (24kg) without batteries. The design is adjustable to suit users with a height of 5'4" to 6'2".

The exoskeleton doesn't require any external control mechanism as it is controlled by a micro-computer installed within the system.

The computer enables the HULC to sense the user's requirement and adapt to the situation accordingly.

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FEATURES

The HULC has a range of 20km when the warfighter moves on level terrain at 4km/hour.

It supports front and back payloads.

The user can move at maximum speed of 11kmph long duration and at 16kmph burst speed.

The system has various mission-specific attachments and can carry integrated systems such as armour, heating or cooling systems, plus sensors.

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POWER SUPPLY

The HULC exoskeleton operates on lithium polymer batteries. The power-saving feature enables the system to support maximum load even when the battery power is low.

In January 2010, Lockheed Martin contracted Protonex Technology to develop fuel cell power supply system for the HULC to support extended missions of 72 hours.

The HULC with rechargeable power supply enables the soldiers to carry fewer batteries during extended missions.

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REFERNCE

http://www.army-technology.com/projects/

human-universal-load-carrier-hulc/

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