New robot mannequin to test gen-next protective suits

A new robot mannequin that will help test the next generation of chemical and biological protective suits for the UK's armed forces has been unveiled.
The mannequin called Porton Man can walk, march, run, sit, kneel and even mimic the movement of a soldier sighting a weapon.
It will help scientists test the suits designed to protect personnel from chemical and biological attacks such as nerve agents like Sarin.
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), will use the mannequin to detect problems with suits designed to protect troops on the battlefield, 'The Times' reported.
"Significant advances in animatronics, material design and sensing technologies have all been incorporated into this new Porton Man mannequin," Jamie Cummins, from DSTL, said.

"As a result, we will be able to assess and characterise protective clothing in ways which were not previously possibly," said Cummins.

The 1.1 million pounds project was undertaken by i-bodi Technology. It uses Formula One technology to keep the weight down to 14kg, the report said.
"Of course there were a number of challenges associated with this and one way we looked to tackle these challenges was through the use of Formula One technology," Chief executive of i-bodi Technology Jez Gibson-Harris said.
Gibson-Harris said that using the same concepts as those used in racing cars, they were able to produce very light but highly durable carbon composite body parts for the mannequin.