US Army developing Third Arm for soldiers
The US Army Research Laboratory is developing a ‘Third Arm’ to help reduce the burden of heavy weapons on soldiers.
The prototype device, which weighs less than 4lbs, is made of composite materials and requires no batteries. It takes the weight of the weapon from the solider's arms and evenly distributes the load while retaining the wearer’s range of motion. This includes allowing the user to go into the prone position.
The system has been tested with the M249 and M240B machines guns. A 2017 pilot study of active-duty troops using Third Arm in live-fire trials showed the device can improve marksmanship, reduce arm fatigue and muscle activation for some soldiers.
ARL Mechanical engineer Dan Baechle, said: ‘The M240B weighs 27 pounds, and we were able to show that you can take the weight of that weapon completely off of the soldiers' arms.
‘What we have right now is a very specific device, but we can learn from that device. I hope in the future what we'll end up with is something that will help the soldier. Whether or not it's in the form you see today, that's less important.’
More from Land Warfare
-
![Australian Army advances with the implementation of countermining training]()
Australian Army advances with the implementation of countermining training
The branch entered this year in the second phase of the deployment of the FLAIM Sweeper system.
-
![Need more flexibility in battle management system delivery?]()
Need more flexibility in battle management system delivery?
Systematic’s newest solution, SitaWare BattleCloud, brings greater flexibility to combat information systems and C4ISR.
-
![QinetiQ awarded contract for further work on lasers, future systems and energy weapons]()
QinetiQ awarded contract for further work on lasers, future systems and energy weapons
Notable projects under the Weapons Sector Research Framework (WSRF) contract include the British Army determining the impact of a vehicle-mounted laser weapon on drones and testing a vehicle-mounted Radio Frequency Directed Energy Weapon (RFDEW).
-
![Axe swings on US Army procurements]()
Axe swings on US Army procurements
The US Army was undergoing a large refresh of its land vehicles but this seems to have come to a whiplash stop. Procurements have been reduced, legacy vehicles and systems are on the chopping block and even the number of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) is under threat.
-
![Europe’s next-generation tank crawls forward and adopts a proven process]()
Europe’s next-generation tank crawls forward and adopts a proven process
The Franco-German Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) is ambitious and is using a procurement system which has had some success in the continent’s aircraft purchasing processes with a separate company established and subsystems identified.
