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The Military

Army Exoskeleton Prototype Helps Soldiers Learn To Shoot 86

Posted by samzenpus from the point-and-shoot dept.
An anonymous reader writes: Infantrymen live by their shooting skills, but becoming an expert marksman can take a long time. U.S. Army researchers are working on a way to improve these skills with the help of the MAXFAS, an arm exoskeleton that uses arm braces to correct involuntary arm shakes. Designed At the U.S. Army Research Laboratory by Dan Baechle, the MAXFAS has been shown to improve aim even after users have taken it off. "Soldiers need to be able to aim and shoot accurately and quickly in the chaos of the battlefield," Baechle said. "Training with MAXFAS could improve Soldiers' accuracy, and reduce current time and ammunition requirements in basic training."
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Army Exoskeleton Prototype Helps Soldiers Learn To Shoot More

Army Exoskeleton Prototype Helps Soldiers Learn To Shoot

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  • I guess they should just wear them in the field.

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Sunday July 05, 2015 @11:27AM (#50048163)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Shooting is hard for a lot of people and lots of training certainly does help. If you want to deploy technology that makes a big difference then I think there are better avenues to approach.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by rtb61 ( 674572 )

        If you can shoot at them, they can shoot at you. The longer you take to aim, the longer you are exposed and someone else can aim at you or as is more often the case, take a snap shot at someone a few metres away and hit you by accident as they spray out bullets. Somehow a exo-skeleton that makes me stick my gun up with my head exposed behind it while it demands I take aim, kind of seems wildly offensive. Reality if the people you are training are too incompetent to learn to shoot relatively accurately with

    • If this technology helps people to become better at marksmanship with the same amount of training, then why not? However, I do have my doubts...
    • You're wrong. No matter how much experience shooters have or how well they control the voluntary side of their muscles there is some shake that just can't be trained out. That's why we wrap the sling around our left arms.

      It's also a mistake to call this a training aid. Obviously if you need it to control involuntary shakes on the firing range you'll need it in the field.

    • "I am sure it is a cool corrective tool to use, but its a crutch. "

      From the summary that you could have read yourself: "the MAXFAS has been shown to improve aim even after users have taken it off. "

      It is an actual training tool, not a crutch.

    • Ah how the U.S. Military has softened up. I remember pushups, kick in the helmet, and more pushups, sweat in the eyes, drill sergeant fear and pushups to correct my shooting posture and shaking.

      I am sure it is a cool corrective tool to use, but its a crutch. But we have been shooting guns for centuries and using less-than-accurate firearms than we have now, its a matter of attention, caring and wanting to be good with your firearm.

      And icing on the cake: When I was in the 'motherland' for OIF, it was a great feeling to know I had good shooting mechanics and trusted my shot. I couldn't imagine being in the military and sucking at that.

      Can't have people being afraid of joining the military because they are worried about the discipline!

      BTW the USA has the lowest 'fit for military service' per head of population than any other country on Earth. They are desperate to get people in the military and desperate to get them fit for service. Why do you think the USA is so keen on drones, fighting robots etc?

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Actually, the US military has little trouble getting enough people physically fit for service. Physically fit, and sufficiently educated, and disciplined, and willing to risk your life for long hours, low pay, and little respect - those criteria are hard to meet. But still, we find a few million. More than all of Europe combined.

        The main reasons for drones and robots are politics and money. The politicians are afraid they'll be blamed when even a single soldier dies, so they don't want to risk any. Als

    • I haven't served, but I have a decent amount of experience with the military.

      I've met and worked with soldiers in all of the US military branches. They're really good at what they do, but they're not perfect, and they know it. As you so bluntly pointed out, there is exceptional discipline, but you can only beat people so hard before they just stop improving. Humans have limits, and despite what your commanders convinced you to believe, technology is the best way to surpass them, not more pushups.

      The soldier

    • What can possibly be bad about using a device that helps you to learn to shoot better? Detailed feedback seems to be a more effective method than a scattershot approach of pushups and getting yelled at.

  • Mastery of basic marksmanship and body mechanics will go further than band aiding the problem with technology.

  • Alternatively... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Karmashock ( 2415832 ) on Sunday July 05, 2015 @11:38AM (#50048197)

    ... a drill sergeant could just push your arm into the correct position and call you a grab-asstic piece of amphibian shit until you get it straight.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]

    This reminds me of those tablets they were handing out to school children on the notion that it improves education... and isn't just a great way to play angry birds. Which is exactly what happened to the Los Angeles Unified version of that little genius ploy.

    I don't know. I'm all for exoskeletons... in the military and otherwise. But telling me it teaches people how to shoot in the military seems like a solution to a problem that we already have a better solution for... no?

    • ... a drill sergeant could just push your arm into the correct position and call you a grab-asstic piece of amphibian shit until you get it straight.

      Is that what made you the man you are today?

      • It gives me a genuine thrill of pride that you would think so... Really.

        Ever had someone try to insult you but they know so little about you that they accidentally complimented you? Always amusing.

        Thanks. :)

        • It gives me a genuine thrill of pride that you would think so... Really.

          That's what I was trying to find out, more than whether you had been in. You confirmed my suspicions in every way. Thanks, I guess. Sorry about your life.

    • Drill sergeants cost a significant amount of money to maintain, whereas if this technology is produced in large quantities it can become a valuable investment as a replacement for drill sergeants.

      If they both accomplish the same thing, and one can be cheaper than the other, why would you not choose the cheaper one?

      • Drill sergeants are a given so that's a zero sum game. The military is not replacing drill sergeants with anything.

        They would sooner get rid of infantry than replace their non-coms.

    • "we already have a better solution for"

      By what criteria are you judging this to be worse that the current method?

      • Cost, live human feedback, live adaptability, proven effectiveness of existing methods...

        You know... just the really obvious things that anyone could cite if they thought about it for at least 2 full seconds.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by trawg ( 308495 )

      I don't know. I'm all for exoskeletons... in the military and otherwise. But telling me it teaches people how to shoot in the military seems like a solution to a problem that we already have a better solution for... no?

      Well, that's the only question that matters - is the exoskeleton solution better than having a human train you?

      That question can only be answered by building it and trying it out over a series of tests, comparing it against the baseline of having a human yell at you to stand up straight or whatever.

      I have often wondered if something like this could exist for skiiing - I've been skiing maybe 5 times now and I'm starting to get the hang of it, but every time I get a lesson I'm frustrated by the instructor sa

  • The real reason...... (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward
    "Training with MAXFAS could improve Soldiers' accuracy, and reduce current time and ammunition requirements in basic training."

    The bean counters have struck again!

  • They aren't "improving skills". They are assisting the subject mechanically so he doesn't NEED as much skill.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by RY ( 98479 )

      And the less skill a solder has the less of a threat they are to the politicians who sent them to war.

  • Infantry uses rifles, can't see this helping anybody but the ones behind the line.

  • Because that's how you get Borgs.

  • If you actually read the article, you see that training with this device on makes you a better shot even when it is OFF. As this is not a weenie thing that bad soldiers use to avoid training, instead it's a he-man, extra hard training to make you a better shooter or hurt you until you fail.

    The reasons why are fairly obvious to me. Any teacher will tell you that more than half the job is teaching someone to STOP doing it the wrong way. This technique makes sure you never pick up bad habits.

    Secondly, m

  • After reading the article, I think I see what is happening.

    The braces are touching the user's arm, in such a way that they provide feedback on how and when the arm is moving. The users become accustomed to holding their arm so that the touch is minimised. After some training the brace is no longer needed, although it might be useful for heavy firearms or when fatigue sets in.

    This is called Biofeedback, it was a popular idea a few years back. And it does work.
    I bet the Olympic Shooting Team is training with

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