(The Washington Post) –The movie \u201cIron Man\u201d popularized the idea of a futuristic warfighter waging battle in a exoskeleton. The Defense\u00a0Department\u00a0recently procured\u00a0two\u00a0from\u00a0Bethesda-based contractor\u00a0Lockheed Martin for far more prosaic missions.<\/p>\n
The lightweight, load-bearing exoskeletons will be used to assist the Navy\u2019s ship\u00a0maintenance crew in performing tasks that require heavy lifting. Lockheed has developed two exoskeleton suits, and the contract\u00a0is to test and evaluate them, the company\u00a0said. The suits will be tested on both coasts \u2013\u00a0one at\u00a0Virginia\u2019s own Norfolk Naval Shipyard and the other at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in the state of Washington.<\/p>\n
\u201cShip maintenance often requires use of heavy tools, such as grinders, riveters or sandblasters,\u201d Adam Miller, director of new initiatives at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, said. \u201cBy wearing the Fortis exoskeleton, operators can hold the weight of those heavy tools for extended periods of time with reduced fatigue.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Fortis exoskeleton, pictured below, resembles a\u00a0motion-capture suit\u00a0or a watered-down Iron Man costume. It can adapt to different heights and body-types, Lockheed says, and wearers can lift up to 36 pounds. Miller said the name \u2018Fortis\u2019 was taken\u00a0from the Latin word for strength and endurance.<\/p>\n
The contract was awarded under a program known as\u00a0Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities, a partnership of the Defense Department and the\u00a0National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, a nonprofit\u00a0consortium that promotes manufacturing.<\/p>\n
Lockheed has been developing the technology for the last five years, Miller said, but this is the first time the government has placed an order to try its product. Although this will be tested by the Navy first, the contract is also an opportunity\u00a0to \u201cmature and transition\u201d exoskeleton technology for use by the Defense Department, he\u00a0said.<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t the first example of a superhero concept being used for military application.<\/p>\n
Last summer, the U.S. Special Operations Command showcased its own Iron Man-inspired armor\u00a0called the\u00a0Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS. SOCOM has\u00a0called\u00a0for\u00a0demonstrations to\u00a0develop the technology for the suit.<\/p>\n
Unlike Fortis, the TALOS program is aimed at\u00a0battlefield-specific applications. Lockheed Martin is working with SOCOM separately in that regard, Miller said.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a video introducing the concept in pure video-game style, complete with a dramatic soundtrack:<\/p>\n