Power suit for loader

Pendekar

New Member
We often read the debates that pitted the proponents of a human loader with those who favor the autoloader. Each have it's pros and cons of course. But the biggest weakness of the human loader is fatigue. The M829A1 for example weighs at 20kg. Not really very heavy, but if you load 10 or 15 round of this in rapid succession, it can be very tiring for the loader. So what I'm suggesting is that somebody developed a powered exoskeleton that can be worn by the loader to reduce the workload. The Exoskeleton will be build-in inside the tank and attach to the tank electrical or hydraulic system for power.
 

Blue Jay

Member
It sounds like it's basically an autoloader with human input. Doesn't sound much different from a typical autoloader, but at the same time there might to merit to this idea. It's not a pure human loader, and reduces the chances of fatigue, fumbling etc. It's also not a pure autoloader, and removes the rigidity and purely mechanical nature of an autoloader. It also sounds very flexible. Say the system breaks down. The design of the whole set up would probably mean the human loader could do his job without the exoskeleton. On the other hand, if the human loader is incapacitated, the system has the potential of functioning as an autoloader proper, but probably at very reduced performance. These are just some speculations.
 
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