Exoskeletons Development: Military Load Effort Analysis in an Operational Environment

Military personnel are subject to carrying loads that have physiological impacts on their bodies, which may compromise their ability to perform tasks effectively during operations. Exoskeletons can support soldiers carrying loads and reduce fatigue. Challenges in developing military exoskeletons include the specific nature of the equipment carried by soldiers, the diversity of specific movements and the physical environment. Integrated into the ELITE project, which aims to develop exoskeletons to support human movement, this research analyses the effort to transport military loads within the infantry squad in an operational environment. The sample consisted of 180 soldiers from the Portuguese Army, belonging to the 6th to 12th National Forces, deployed to the Central African Republic from 2020 to 2023. Military personnel were grouped according to their roles within the Infantry squad to evaluate their overload level and compare different functions during military operations. Statistical Inference techniques and probability models were used to evaluate the effort of soldiers and understand their proportion under stress/workload during peacekeeping operations in an International environment. Results indicate that exoskeleton development should consider different roles in military operations according to the specific tasks and load carried since these factors vary significantly and imply different requirements.