Meet the HULC

February 26th, 2009 | AUSA Winter 2009 | Posted by Michelle Tan

The powered armor worn by Juan Rico in Robert Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers” may be out of reach for now, but the HULC just might be the start of what could be possible in the future.

The HULC is the Human Universal Load Carrier exoskeleton, developed by Lockheed Martin and Berkeley Bionics. It is an un-tethered, hydraulic-powered exoskeleton that allows users to carry up to 200 pounds with minimal effort, stress and fatigue, a critical capability for soldiers who typically carry an average of 70 pounds of gear into combat.

“Everyone has something in their mind, Starship Troopers, Sigourney Weaver, they think it’s too complicated,” said Russ Angold, of Berkeley Bionics. “But here it is, it can be done.”

The system is attached to wearers using shoulder straps, a waist belt, and thigh and foot straps, and it is adjustable for anyone between 5 feet, 4 inches and 6 feet, 2 inches, said Angold, who wore and demonstrated the HULC.

It weighs 53 pounds (without its two, 4-pound lithium-ion rechargeable batteries), but that weight, along with the load users carry, is transferred to the ground through the exoskeleton’s titanium legs. A Graphical User Interface control panel calculates how much energy is needed once the user plugs in his weight and the weight of his load, Angold said.

Because the HULC was designed to mimic human movement, it senses what the wearer wants to do or where he wants to go, said Doug Medcalf, who works in business development for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. It is agile enough to allow the user to walk, squat, run and crawl, he said, and a built-in micro computer makes sure the HULC moves with its wearer even when the batteries run out.

The HULC can be removed in 30 seconds, and its batteries can run, on a single charge, for 6 miles at a continuous rate of 3 miles per hour, Medcalf said. Modular attachments allow wearers to carry loads in the front as well, he said.

Medcalf said the companies “fully intend” to conduct full-scale trials with the Army beginning in January 2010. In the meantime, the folks at Lockheed and Berkeley continue to improve the HULC to make it more rugged and versatile in extreme terrain and weather.

Tags: exoskeleton, Starship Troopers, video

Permalink | February 26th, 2009

7 Responses to “Meet the HULC”

1. TPile » Blog Archive » Lockheed Unleashes ‘HULC’ Super-Strength Gear Says:
   February 27th, 2009 at 10:40 am

   [...] the Association of the United States Army’s winter conference, Lockheed and Berkeley Bionics showed off their exoskeleton, the Human Universal Load Carrier exoskeleton — "HULC." (This [...]

2. Anonym Says:
   February 27th, 2009 at 1:57 pm

   Ditch the squeak!

3. Anonym Says:
   February 27th, 2009 at 2:02 pm

   … also, add ’shock-absorber’-type power generators to recharge the batteries with each step.

4. Soldier Systems » Blog Archive » HULC at AUSA Says:
   March 3rd, 2009 at 3:57 pm

   [...] Defense News put out a great article on the new Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) exoskeleton from Berkely Bionics and Lockheed Martin. The HULC is designed to carry up to 200 lbs and assist the wearer with sprints of up to 10 miles an hour. Currently designed to accommodate Soldiers from 5′4″ to 6′2″ the HULC can be removed in 30 seconds and on a single charge its batteries run for 6 miles at a continuous rate of 3 miles per hour. [...]

5. KAKKWN Says:
   March 5th, 2009 at 8:30 am

   You’re on your way; however, if I may, let me point out one major flaw. Device “movement noise” has got to silence in order for your product to be a benefit in the field – I speak from a SOF perspective. The HULC is a great garrison product, but it’s not field or combat ready yet. The audible motorized movements currently take away all individual stealth, to include the element of surprise.

6. Grunt Says:
   March 16th, 2009 at 9:07 am

   6 miles of walking ain’t nothing. This thing needs to last longer than that or you’ll find soldiers digging holes and leaving on the march somewhere. Where can you re-charge them on the march? Seems impractical, but I’m an old school soldier.

7. etchy Says:
   May 28th, 2009 at 4:26 pm

   this is not a combat system! first thing you do when you get to combat is take your huge fully loaded backpack off, right? you’re probably not very stealthy with that on either.

   why is this any different?

   as far as the range goes – if it can carry up to 200 pounds, you could easily devote 20-30 of those pounds to replacement batteries or a recharge system to get greater range.

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