Range of Motion and Reaches of Warfighters in Body Armor

Abstract

To better understand the performance impact of body armor on U.S. military Warfighters, NSRDEC conducted an evaluation examining the range of motion of 67 Soldiers. Four configurations were assessed: duty uniform only and duty uniform with three different body armor protection levels (BAPLs). Sixteen (16) measurements were collected using standard and modified methods. Test participants were dressed in their best fitting size body armor and performed a variety of mission relevant movements. Test participants repeated each movement three times, and a mean was calculated for data analysis. Significant differences were seen between the BAPLs across the movements and within each movement. Follow up analysis has shown significant differences between the duty uniform alone and the three BAPLs for most of the movements. Design modifications of the armor could reduce the performance degradation caused by wearing the body armor, thereby improving mission performance and reducing fatigue in Warfighters.