AEROPI: Advanced EXOJUMP to Reduce Occurrences of Parachute Injuries

Combat parachute jumping is a relatively poorly understood topic in the world of biomechanics. Extreme parachute landing forces, produced by carrying excessively heavy, voluminous loads as well as a reduced ability to predict and prepare properly for impact, lead to several serious injury mechanisms or, in rare cases, death. Injuries sustained during a mission will cost crucial time and resources, which could ultimately lead to increased levels of danger for the unit. To meet the Army’s need to dissipate high forces induced from parachute jumps and reduce injuries, Aptima and its teammates from Auburn University and Sophia Solutions propose to design the Advanced EXOJUMP to Reduce Occurrences of Parachute Injuries (AEROPI) system—a lower limb exoskeleton that will minimize forces experienced in the body by providing variable assistance before, during, and after the jump. Further, it will also collect relevant data from the user which will be crucial for future understanding of the biomechanics experienced during a jump, as well as provide insight into the root cause of future injuries. AEROPI will include four main components: (1) a sensor suite, (2) an analytics suite, (3) an ankle and/or knee augmentation exoskeleton, and (4) an intuitive user interface for reporting.