(July 19,
2012) A $2.6 million contract from the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to the Wyss Institute for
Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard will enable bioengineers to
develop a smart suit that helps improve physical endurance for soldiers in the
field.
Walsh’s collaborators
include Rob Wood, Gordon McKay Professor of Electrical Engineering at SEAS and
Core Faculty Member at Wyss; Yong-Lae Park, Wyss Development Fellow; and George
Whitesides, Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at Harvard
University and Core Faculty Member at Wyss.
The novel wearable system would
potentially delay the onset of fatigue, enabling soldiers to walk longer
distances, and also potentially improve the body’s resistance to injuries when
carrying heavy loads.
Conor Walsh, Assistant Professor
of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering at the Harvard School of Engineering
and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and Core Faculty Member at the Wyss, will lead this
interdisciplinary program.