Better design to ease soldiers’ loads, help them stay cool



SINGAPORE — Besides revamping soldiers' fitness regimes, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will look at ways to lighten their load and have them stay cool while in action.



Selected equipment will soon be tested at a 200m course with 10 obstacles to see if tweaks to their design will improve a soldier's ability to move faster without feeling hotter.

Above: Thermal scanning technology is used on soldier to determine how much heat is trapped in his equipment, as part of the Load Effects Assessment Programme (LEAP), during the Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance (CESP) media event on Nov 28, 2017. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

Soldiers in the tests will have their body temperatures mapped by a thermo-imaging system after they complete the tasks, which include a low crawl, an agility run and load transfers.

The SAF acquired the system, called the load effects assessment programme (LEAP), two months ago. It will collate the time taken to complete tasks and temperature data of every soldier, enabling equipment that improves mobility and performance to be identified.

The tests will be administered by human factors engineers – specialists in comfort and functional design – at the SAF's new Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance, located at Selarang Camp in Changi.

The Republic is the first in Asia to tap on LEAP, which was started by the US Marine Corps, said Senior Lieutenant Colonel Yee Kok Meng, who heads the centre.



The human factors engineers will also improve the fit of soldiers' gear by tapping the science of measuring and applying body dimensions, or anthropometry.

This was applied on the design of a new load bearing system, which is in its final stage of development.

Projected to replace the integrated load bearing vest from March 2019, the new design will fit soldiers of different shapes and sizes more snugly as its belt and vest components could come in different sizes. The fit of the vest component can also be adjusted in five places.

Above: Mannequins outfitted with SAF load bearing equipment through the years including the next generation load bearing system prototype ® pictured during a Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance (CESP) media event on Nov 28, 2017. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

The current vest, used since 2009, comes in standard sizes with most of the weight resting on a soldier's shoulders, shared Mr Yee.



Soldiers who tried the new vest have given positive feedback, saying it feels lighter and more compact, said Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung at the CESP's inauguration on Friday (Dec 1).

"Well-designed equipment that distributes weight well across the body can delay the onset of fatigue," he said.

Above: Soldiers wearing the next generation load bearing system prototype ® and the currently-used Integrated Load Bearing Vest pose for a photo during a Centre of Excellence for Soldier Performance (CESP) media event on Nov 28, 2017. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

"It also improves the mobility of the soldiers significantly. This will ensure that the equipment our soldiers wear and use fits them well and allows them to perform their combat tasks effectively."

And from the first quarter of next year, soldiers may undergo 20-second body scans for data to be collected.

They will undergo more scans periodically, allowing the SAF to establish trends on body dimensions spanning a soldier's enlistment to retirement.