Quantitative team performance metrics for dismounted infantry battle drill analysis.

Performance optimization down to the small unit level in the military is critical to the success of the collective force during an operation. However, there remains a lack of objective, quantitative performance metrics to evaluate military-team performance during battle drill training. Our research identified multiple wearable-derived measures that could predict squad performance as aligned to specific battle drill performance constructs.

Body-worn IMU array reveals effects of load on performance in an outdoor obstacle course.

This study introduces a new method to understand how added load affects human performance across a broad range of athletic tasks (ten obstacles) embedded in an outdoor obstacle course. The method employs an array of wearable inertial measurement units (IMUs) to wirelessly record the movements of major body segments to derive obstacle-specific metrics of performance. The effects of load are demonstrated on (N = 22) participants who each complete the obstacle course under four conditions including unloaded (twice) and with loads of 15% and 30% of their body weight (a total of 88 trials across the group of participants).

Use of body armor protection with fighting load impacts soldier performance and kinematics.

The purpose of this evaluation was to examine how increasing body armor protection with and without a fighting load impacted soldiers' performance and mobility. Thirteen male soldiers performed one performance (repeated 30-m rushing) and three mobility tasks (walk, walk over and walk under) with three different body armor configurations and an anterior fighting load. Increasing body armor protection, decreased soldier performance, as individual and total 30-m rush times were significantly longer with greater protection.