WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Nov. 12, 2014) -- Current and future
developments in energy production promise to lower the Soldier's combat
load and reduce the logistical footprint, said an Army systems expert.
Current technology could allow Soldiers and their vehicles and equipment
to one day passively capture solar energy, which will automatically
charge batteries used for network communications and other tasks, said
Maj. Mark Owens.
Owens, a system coordinator at the Office of the Assistant Secretary of
the Army for Acquisition, Logistics & Technology, spoke at an
Operational Energy forum today, in the Pentagon.
Now in research and development is an apparatus Soldiers would wear to
reduce musculoskeletal injury and increase performance. The device would
also generate energy for batteries when the Soldier is walking downhill
and "braking," he said, much like energy-regeneration braking used in
electric vehicles.
Another possible similar development in the future would use the
oscillating motion of a Soldier's rucksack to capture energy -- up to 50
watts worth, Owens said. "You obviously wouldn't want to oscillate when
going down a mountain, so it could be locked in place."
A similar passive-energy collection device could be in a vehicle seat. The weight of the Soldier could generate power, he said.
Someday, thermal electric devices could line Soldiers' armor, producing a
mild air-conditioning effect of cooling down a Soldier by about five
degrees Fahrenheit, he said. It would have an added benefit of reducing
water intake and the associated weight of carrying a lot of water.
Smart textiles could someday route energy through the fabric of the
Soldier's combat uniform, reducing the need for cables and other devices
connecting the battery and networking communications, he offered.
Why the Army's sudden increased interest in reducing weight and increasing energy efficiency?
New network communications gear worn by Soldiers keeps getting heavier
and heavier, he said. The Army predicted that in the future, the power
needed to generate these devices will increase from the current seven to
10 pounds, to 14 pounds for a 72-hour mission.
That doesn't seem like much, but the effect of new gear dismounted
Soldiers carry makes the load heavier and heavier, Owens said. At some
point, the Army began to ask itself "is the juice worth the squeeze?"
Consider that during World War II and Vietnam, the average Soldier
hauled about 36 pounds of stuff, he pointed out on a slide. During
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, that load increased to 75 pounds.
"If you have loads for dismounted infantrymen of from 70 to 140 pounds,
you begin to degrade their ability to maneuver, degrade their
situational awareness and there's tremendous impact to the
musculoskeletal system, with increased probability of injuries and
long-term consequences," he said.
Owens was quick to point out that much of that added weight increased
the chances of Soldier's survivability on the battlefield in the form of
increased situational awareness through better communications and more
effective firepower. However, at some point, a Soldier can only carry so
much, so there has to be a sweet spot.
To get to that spot, the Army in 2009, started looking at how technology
could contribute to decreasing the Soldier's load from a power
perspective, since food, water and body armor were already at their
limits in possible weight reduction, he said.
In 2003, 90 percent of the batteries purchased by Soldiers were
non-rechargeable, he said. So, if a Soldier went out on patrol, he'd
come back with maybe 60 percent of the charge still in his batteries,
but toss them and get new ones for the next day's patrol, just to be on
the safe side.
The Army is reversing that trend today, with lithium-ion rechargeable
batteries that are more powerful, weigh less and come with charging
stations, he pointed out. The newer batteries also last about 25 percent
longer.
The chargers that were used in 2003, couldn't be run by solar or vehicle
power. Also, he said, they were less rugged than the ones now being
produced that can use alternate energy sources, and can run off AC or DC
current.
Another problem is that the 2590 batteries Soldiers have been wearing,
while powerful, are also a potential safety hazard when penetrated by
rounds or shrapnel. They're "not something you want to have on your body
when that happens," he said.
An Army program of record for 2016 through 2020, will result in better
battery and charging technologies getting out to Soldiers in the field,
Owens said. For example, rechargeable batteries that are flattened out
and flexible with charge indicators on them will be worn by Soldiers to
supply their network communications and other gear.
Universal charging stations are part of that program, capable of
operating off alternative energy sources or even drawing energy from
partially charged batteries, he added.
http://www.army.mil/article/138122/New_technology_to_reduce_Soldier_s_load/
By David Vergun
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