Lightweight Electroadhesive Exotendon (LEET) for Head and Neck Protection at High G Loading

Greater deployment of helmet-mounted equipment has increased the frequency of neck pain, fatigue, and injury experienced by pilots at high-g, driving the need for a head and neck support system. Most fighter pilots have experienced flight-related neck pain during their career, causing serious ramifications for force readiness. Previously developed solutions are typically passive or one-use devices that cause some additional discomfort or restrict free head movement, leading to very low rates of pilot adoption. Conventional electromagnetic, hydraulic, or pneumatic actuator hardware would enable actively-controlled solutions, but all severely lack the performance needed to achieve an adequately lightweight and responsive system. An effective mitigation for increased neck loads due to helmet-mounted equipment must consider size, weight, power consumption, range of motion of the pilot, and variation in pilot size. Exotendons that employ electroadhesive clutches to activate and deactivate assistance are exceptionally well-suited to the challenge of preventing pilot neck fatigue and injury. The electroadhesive clutch hardware pioneered by ESTAT Actuation is paper-thin, flexible, weighs mere grams, and consumes just Milliwatts of power. Using electroadhesive clutches, the exotendons can be designed to redirect inertial forces during high-g maneuvers from the helmet to the torso, reducing the stress experienced by the neck musculoskeletal system. This 6-month project will focus on customer discovery, exotendon design, and benchtop evaluation of various designs and materials architectures. We will interview end-users and other Air Force Stakeholders using established customer discovery techniques. This feedback will be turned into initial designs that will be iteratively optimized with additional feedback. The exotendon hardware will be validated to TRL 3 in Phase I to demonstrate the performance required to create a full head and neck assistive system in Phase II. Development activities will include testing multiple geometries and exploring multiple electrode/dielectric material combinations as necessary. After completing the design, fabrication, and preliminary benchtop verification of our electroadhesive clutch exotendon component, a test plan will be drafted for execution in Phase II in partnership with AFLCMC/WNU and AFRL. During Phase II the full head and neck assistive system prototype will be constructed and assessed by stakeholder contacts. Given the strong military need to enhance the safety and readiness of the pilots of high-G aircraft, ESTAT has a strong path to achieve a commercially-viable safety solution through Phase I and II development and Phase III acquisition.