A previous exoskeleton developed by Arizona State University, Air Mobility Command and the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, dubbed the Aerial Port Exoskeleton, was tested at Travis Air Force Base in California last year.The Forge System, the latest version of the exoskeleton, was developed by California-based Roam Robotics as part of a Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research grant, with the help of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Center for Rapid Innovation.As part of this demonstration, two aerial porters from the 87th Aerial Port Squadron at Wright-Patterson moved a 3,500-pound pallet onto a C-17 Globemaster with the help of the exoskeleton.John Florio, the deputy director for AFRL’s Center for Rapid Innovation, said the exoskeleton could allow teams of porters to load heavier objects onto aircraft more quickly, saving time and money.Gen. John Andrus, commander of the 711th Human Performance Wing, said medical personnel conducting aeromedical evacuations who have to lift sick or injured troops on litters are another example of airmen who could benefit from such an exoskeleton."