Compact Litter Assist for Warfighters

The Defense Health Agency requires a device to augment the grip strength of service members and allow them to carry litters for longer distances. Currently, no such device exists in the standard military equipment set, and litters are simply carried by hand. Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) proposes the Compact Litter Assist for Warfighters (CLAW), a passive, low profile, semi-rigid upper body exoskeleton that improves litter carrying distance by 200% by supplementing personnel grip strength and redistributing load from the hands to the shoulders and hips. It improves carrying capacity without reducing the userÆs ability to conduct their medical and combat duties by utilizing deployable grippers stored in housings on the forearm. These grippers deploy into the userÆs palm and conform to the litter handle, creating a hook to support the weight of the litter. The load is transferred to the user via a soft harness system that fits under body armor.