Soldiers and tactical unit officers are often required to carry a large amount of heavy equipment, including the body armor they wear. This is where the ExoMUp-Armoured exoskeleton comes in, as it is both load-reducing and bulletproof. The exoskeleton is manufactured by the German company Mehler Protection, which designed the product in collaboration with Canadian biomechanical technology company Mawashi Science & Technology and the French tactical police force GIGN (National Gendarmerie Intervention Group).
The armor plates of the full-body exoskeleton provide ballistic protection that meets European VPAM8 standards. This means they can withstand three rounds of 7.62×39mm bullets (the same bullet used by the AK-47 rifle) fired from a distance of approximately 10 meters (33 feet).
Additionally, the exoskeleton's titanium frame reportedly redistributes up to 70 percent of the overall load from the wearer's shoulders to the ground. Meanwhile, the ExoM's flexible spine, sliding waistband and articulated hip, knee and ankle joints are said to ensure the wearer maintains up to 99% of their usual range of motion.
Finally, because the ExoM is a passive exoskeleton (meaning it doesn't use any electric actuators), it doesn't have any batteries that would add weight or require recharging - the latter of which is certainly challenging in remote locations or on long-duration missions.
We're still waiting to hear back from Mehler on the type of ballistic protection material used and the total weight of the device.
You can see the ExoMUp-Armoured exoskeleton in action in the video below.