Solar-Powered Wearable Tech Lightens Marines' Loads
US Marines use backpack-mounted solar panels developed by the Office of Naval Research to fuel battery-powered gear in the battlefield.
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Whether you wear your technology or carry it with you, one thing doesn't change: the need to keep your electronic gear charged.
That presents a special problem for US troops moving into remote areas. Packing extra batteries for their GPS equipment, radios, and night-vision goggles adds a lot of weight to packs that weigh 125 pounds or more. Relying on generators to recharge batteries brings another set of logistic challenges and requires a steady supply of fuel.
To address the problem, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) led the development of the Marine Austere Patrolling System (MAPS), which combines solar power and an individual water purifier to help lighten Marines' loads when they are in remote locations. The combination of functions makes sense; normally Marines sent on a mission also must carry their own water supplies, which adds to their burden.
"The Marine Corps currently uses two versions of its primary battery," a rechargeable and non-rechargeable lithium battery, said Capt. Frank Furman, logistics program manager for ONR’s Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare and Combating Terrorism Department. The batteries -- about the size and weight of a brick -- primarily power radios and other equipment, such as radio-frequency jamming devices used to combat radio-controlled IEDs, he said.
In addition, Marines carry GPS systems, night-vision goggles, and other equipment that require their own batteries. Furman said Marines on a 24-hour mission might need four batteries, but would carry eight to provide a margin of error.
Furman said his team "wants to bypass all those different batteries and power them off a single central battery. At the same time, we want to be able to charge that battery via a flexible [photovoltaic] panel," he said. "This would not only eliminate some of your battery needs, but eliminate your need to carry different types of spares."
The prototype design relies on a flexible solar panel roughly the size of a piece of paper, developed by the Naval Research Laboratory, and a new, more flexible battery "that offers similar performance but in a flatter package," he said. "Instead of a rigid brick strapped to your body, you have a flexible package that's much more ergonomically friendly."
In a recent field test with the 1st Battalion 5th Marines at the Mountain Warfare Training Center, the wearable solar-powered system proved its worth when the Marines carrying the MAPS were the only ones whose radios still had power.
The MAPS program continues to undergo testing in the field to look for ways to improve the system. The Naval Research Laboratory and its vendors are refining the solar technology to improve their performance. Delve into our slideshow to take a closer look at the project.
(Image: US Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office)
Wyatt Kash contributed to this report.
Flexible high-efficiency solar sheets like this one from MicroLink Devices, which collaborated on the design with the Navy Research Lab, contain 30 solar cells (each 20 cm2 in area) capable of generating 17.5 watts of power.
The Mobile Solar Power photovoltaic prototype was developed by the Naval Research Laboratory, in collaboration with MicroLink Devices, Design Intelligence, and the US Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office. It includes a 10.5 x 15.5-inch solar panel capable of generating more than 11 watts of power (depending on solar conditions), a battery, and a storage pack.
The solar cell is mounted on a thin metal sheet, which provides mechanical support to the thin, brittle solar cell material. The 20-square-centimeter solar cell has a relatively high rate of efficiency for solar cells, converting 32.2% of solar radiation into electric energy. This helps reduce the need for carrying extra batteries. The Naval Research Laboratory is working on new prototypes that will eventually deliver 50% efficiency.
All together now
The photovoltaic panels can also be daisy-chained to provide additional charging power in the field.
The photovoltaic backpack prototype is one of a number of efforts to harness solar power and decrease the military's dependence on fossil fuel-generated power. Other solar-powered systems under development include portable photovoltaic arrays (pictured here), highly flexible photovoltaic blankets, solar-powered aircraft, and trailer-based hybrid power units.
The photovoltaic backpack prototype is one of a number of efforts to harness solar power and decrease the military's dependence on fossil fuel-generated power. Other solar-powered systems under development include portable photovoltaic arrays (pictured here), highly flexible photovoltaic blankets, solar-powered aircraft, and trailer-based hybrid power units.
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