Hulc
Encyclopedia
Human Universal Load Carrier, or HULC, is an un-tethered, hydraulic-powered anthropomorphic exoskeleton
developed by Professor H. Kazerooni
and his team at Berkeley Bionics. It is intended to help soldiers 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
.
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.
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 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 72 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 in the foot pads relay information to an onboard microcomputer
that moves the hydraulic system 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.
. 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 arrays that would allow for better situational awareness during combat. Lockheed Martin is also exploring exoskeleton designs to support industrial
and medical applications.
Powered exoskeleton
A powered exoskeleton, also known as powered armor, or exoframe, is a powered mobile machine consisting primarily of an exoskeleton-like framework worn by a person and a power supply that supplies at least part of the activation-energy for limb movement.Powered exoskeletons are designed to assist...
developed by Professor H. Kazerooni
Homayoon Kazerooni
Homayoon Kazerooni is a roboticist and professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.Dr. Kazerooni is the director of the Berkeley Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory and also the Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Berkeley Bionics . The Berkeley Robotics and...
and his team at Berkeley Bionics. It is intended to help soldiers 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
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
.
Development
Lockheed Martin entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Berkeley Bionics in January 2009. The program is based in Orlando Florida at the Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control 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.
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 lbs, 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 muscularskeletal 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 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 72 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 in the foot pads relay information to an onboard microcomputer
Microcomputer
A microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers...
that moves the hydraulic system 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.
Applications
Lockheed Martin originally developed the HULC to assist soldiers during combatCombat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
. 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 arrays that would allow for better situational awareness during combat. Lockheed Martin is also exploring exoskeleton designs to support industrial
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
and medical applications.
Press releases
External links
- http://www.lockheedmartin.com/products/hulc/index.html
- New Exoskeleton Gives Soldiers Super Strength
- http://www.berkeleybionics.com/Unrestricted/HULC.html
- Wired features video of it in action