Army is experimenting with a prototype exoskeleton.

A

aarondhgraham

New member
Click here please.

A short article showing a picture of an exoskeleton the Army is experimenting with.

Apparently this will dampen arm shakes allowing for better accuracy.

The first thing I wondered is why they are using it with handguns,,,
I thought the military would always prefer a long-gun over a handgun.

Could this be the precursor to the Mobile Infantry powered suits from the original Starship Troopers novel?

Aarond

.
 
They are showing it with handgun use because it simply just is an illustrative example that readers will get more immediate understanding from.


Unless hou are SOF, Handguns are used less than the bayonet on the modern battlefield. They are not a high enough of a priority even with the bionic exosuit here.
 
Because handguns are inherently less accurate and harder to shoot well than rifles. A greater need exists, and the required exoskelton likely requires fewer parts than one for a rifle would.
 
Over the years the army has experimented with hundreds of thousands of ideas. Only a tiny fraction make it into actual use. I don't have a problem with that, if they'd never tried new stuff we'd still be fighting with muzzle loaders. But I don't see this going mainstream.
 
Looks a lot like the contraption the bad guys in Shooter used to try and make Nick Memphis (Michael Pena) shoot himself in the head to make it look like a suicide... Right before they were offed by Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) from 200 yards with a suppressed .22 rifle. :p
 
Because safety glasses are always required in the lab. Ear plugs are only required when actually doing loud things like shooting.

The appear to be fitting...
 
There is so little actual information offered in this article that I hesitate to comment on any specifics. It's also relatively easy to critique such things when the object of the work may be something other than what the article implies it is. They may be trying to do something entirely different than what the article says they are trying to do. But...

People have been learning to shoot well for a good many decades with minimal use of gizmos. Practice and good teaching are usually the key.

The prototype looks relatively complicated and delicate for field use, maybe that's because it's a prototype. I assume a field version would be stronger and heavier...but then why?

Why is there a light weight laser and flashlight attached to the gun?

A gun, instructor, paperwork and ammo are fairly simple things to keep track of. This will add several more things to keep track of and maintain if used...why?

A few initial questions. Well more like objections. If they are trying to do what the article claims then I don't see the point and it seems a waste of time and money.

If they are trying to improve the scores of Army marksmanship teams in pistol competitions by working up new training methods well then I understand that and wish them well.

tipoc
 
A pistol sling?

...by going to elbow braces and a lanyard type sling!
Click to expand...

I saw someone using a sling-like affair one time,,,
It was just a loop at the top of the pistol grip,,,
That connected to a loop over the shoulder.

He explained to me that you pushed away from the body,,,
That tightened the sling and somehow made the arms more steady.

I never tried it myself but who knows,,,
It might work if it were implemented properly.

This goes back to another thread currently being discussed,,,
Wouldn't it be more cost effective to buy more practice ammo?

Aarond

.
 
Unless hou are SOF, Handguns are used less than the bayonet on the modern battlefield. They are not a high enough of a priority even with the bionic exosuit here.
Click to expand...

Handguns are a bigger deal in the Navy, especially for boarding other vessels, just saying. Handgun procurement should be a broader survey than just what the Big Army wants to field less than a bayonet.
 
The us and several allies are constantly working on one bio suit exoskeleton or another. Will this go anywhere as a standalone device? No. Could the technology be integrated into another program? Certainly.

With technology such as this a pistol can close the gap on a rifle for many current uses. Even an AR style pistol which is less intimidating than a rifle. You know. Hearts and minds.
 
Neat possibilities.

Depending on how much control you want to give it, it may need to be linked to a processor in the rifle/pistol that can activate and stabilize the arm just at the moment of the trigger pull. Otherwise, you don't want to mute out *every* fine movement you would make.

I can see this easily work with digital recognition technology and the recent digital rifle scopes. Like a portable ransom rest to remove movement from the shooter. Or even to induce movement to stay on target. Linked with a scope or "google glass" type deal, it may be able to tell what the intended target is and help aim. Even my digital camera can recognize faces. Responding to a designated target wouldn't be too hard as long as the skeleton knew where the gun was currently pointed and could move the arm by itself. Pistol wouldn't have to be brought up to the eye if you trust it enough.

Wonder if this will be like the cross bow, allowing your less talented soldiers shoot better. At its most extreme, the old issue of letting machines make decisions comes up.
 
I see so many problems with this. I'm all for innovation, but this just seems silly.

1. The elbow joint is only one of a hundred things that may not make someone stable - stance, breathing, knees, hips, shoulders, wrist, and plain-old ducking from taking fire, etc.

2. More added heavy equipment, weight, and bulk? And what happens when the batteries die? Does it lock up, or is it just an extra 2 pounds on your arms? No thanks. Spend the money on training and ammunition to train with.

It won't be workable until the Soldier literally wears an entire suit that controls for all the variables, and allows smart gun technology for sighting, and weight distro, etc.

Unless hou are SOF, Handguns are used less than the bayonet on the modern battlefield. They are not a high enough of a priority even with the bionic exosuit here.
Click to expand...

This statement is false. When downrange everyone is required to have a weapon on them at all practical times. That weapon is a rifle or pistol. Not a bayonet. As an officer, I carried a supplemental handgun on 3 of my 4 deployments.

Why are they wearing safety glasses but no earplugs? Because they're scientists?
Click to expand...
Because they are standing in a lab obviously not firing the weapon with live ammo - probably some form of simulation firing area. No ear pro necessary but eye pro due to moving machine parts.

Why is there a light weight laser and flashlight attached to the gun?
Click to expand...

Educated guess, those are lasers trained on a simulation target. One is probably also communicating with the arm brace to lock it somehow.
 
This is the key sentence in the second article:

"Baechle believes the project, he has been working on for the last year, has a chance, because fatigue, involuntary tremors in the arm and difficult situations, like shooting under fire or shooting on the move, will continue to degrade shooting performance in Soldiers even as more advanced weapons technology emerges.

"My vision is that one day, a more mature version of MAXFAS could be used to improve aim on the battlefield despite any adverse conditions," he said."

This is a technology demonstrator.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top