Army Research Lab Developing Energy Harvesting Backpack

By Tactical-Life

The following is a release from David Vergun and the U.S. Army:

A novel attachment to the Soldier’s assault pack might someday reduce the number of batteries carried to power night-vision devices, radios and other equipment, as well as help make dismounted patrols less fatiguing.

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Courtney Webster, a biomedical engineer with the Army Research Laboratory, or ARL, is in the middle of testing with her team the prototype “Energy Harvesting Backpack” at the Soldier Performance and Equipment Advanced Research, or SPEAR, facility here.

HOW IT WORKS

A frame mounted to the standard-issue assault pack contains a two-spring, rack-and-pinion suspension system that allows it to gently glide up and down as the Soldier is walking or running, Webster said.

As the assault pack moves, the mechanical energy produced by the motion recharges the Soldier’s battery, she said.

The other thing that happens is that the up-and-down motion is gradual and controlled. Without the attachment, this is not the case, she said, providing a comparison to a backpack full of school books that “bounces and slams your shoulders when running.”

MEASURING ITS EFFECTIVENESS

The SPEAR facility, which resembles a warehouse about the size of a basketball court, has the requisite …Read the Rest

Source:: Tactical Life