That the Marine Corps could replace batteries someday is a strange thought to put it mildly. The idea of somebody fussing around and changing batteries for them is too absurd to consider. This post is about something different as you probably guessed.
The military want to replace some of the seventeen pounds of batteries their soldiers lug around with them. This means less weight for ships to carry, and less weight for helicopters to lift when they ferry them to the scene of action or emergency crisis.
The project is less about greening the Corps and more about reducing back strain. The soldier’s rucksacks can weigh as much as eighty pounds.
“We look at how many batteries a soldier needs to take on a mission,” a researcher explains. And the savings available from an energy harvesting device.
Ways the Marine Corps Could Replace Batteries
The Marine Corps is considering a raft of strategies. These include energy harvesters, power managers, miniature solar panels, and flexible ‘conformal batteries’ that integrate with body armor. Knee braces converting leg movement to electricity are already finalists in the 2016 Edison Award.
The next step could be a backpack that collects energy. “Every time you take a step, that backpack hits you in the back. So that’s a lot of energy,” an official from the research unit explains. If the Marine Corps could replace batteries that way, it would score twice.
Their soldiers would protect their knees, and back and ankles with a lighter pack. And they would have their batteries fully charged.
Implications in This for the Small Craft Industry
We posted this under the marine tab because it stimulated an interesting thought. Sailing a deep-sea yacht needs considerable effort climbing up masts and rigging, and adjusting sails. We hope the Marine Corps research spills over. We hope someone examines the potential for seafarers. How about harvesting the power of waves brushing past the boat?
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