Compact Litter Assist for Warfighters (CLAW)

Physical Sciences Inc. proposes a Phase II research program for the Defense Health Agency to develop a device to enable service members to carry litters longer distances. We will develop the Compact Litter Assist for Warfighters (CLAW) system that augments servicemember grip strength by distributing the load of the litter from the hands to the larger muscle groups in the shoulders and back. The CLAW achieves this without interfering with SM equipment or their ability to conduct combat and medical duties. During the Phase I program, we produced two functional prototypes – one for civilian use (standalone system) and one for military use (integrated with a plate carrier). During the Phase II program we will further mature the prototypes, conduct human subjects research with our academic partner, and pursue commercialization partnerships to begin production of fieldable systems.