Researchers working on lighter equipment for British soldiers

Scientists at six British universities are working on a project to create a power pack which could be up to 50 per cent lighter than current batteries used by the UK’s soldiers.

The two-year Solar Soldier project aims to produce a power pack where energy is gathered from a combination of solar cells and thermoelectric devices before it is stored for later use.

The team of around 15 scientists and researchers is also investigating ways of managing, storing and using heat produced by the system.

The project is being developed by the University of Glasgow with Loughborough, Strathclyde, Leeds, Reading and Brunel universities.

Duncan Gregory, professor from the University of Glasgow, said: “Infantry need electricity for weapons, radios, global positioning systems and many other vital pieces of equipment.

“A lot of the weight would be distributed differently with these new power packs. It would be lighter than the batteries used as we are aiming to reduce the size of those batteries, if not replace them completely.

“Batteries can account for over 10 per cent of the 45-kilogramme to 70-kilogramme of equipment that infantry currently carry.

“By aiding efficiency and comfort, the new system could play a valuable role in ensuring the effectiveness of army operations. It will improve mobility.”

He continued: “Thermoelectric devices convert heat to electrical energy and this can be from the sun or a drop in temperature such as day temperatures to night.

“The idea is to harvest the energy and store it using a combination of a super capacitor and a lithium battery.

“As far as we are aware, there is not an integrated system like this anywhere in the world.”

Prof. Gregory, who is leading the design and research on the thermoelectric devices, said: “We aim to produce a prototype system within two years. We also anticipate that the technology that we develop could be adapted for other and very varied uses.

“One possibility is in niche space applications for powering satellites, another could be to provide means to transport medicines or supplies at cool temperatures in disaster areas or to supply fresh food in difficult economic or climatic conditions.”

The new power pack will also absorb energy across the electromagnetic spectrum, making infantry less liable to detection by night vision equipment that uses infra-red technology. It could also increase the potential range and duration of infantry operations as it would not need to be recharged at base.

The project team, which is also supported by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, is also investigating how both types of device could be woven into soldiers’ battle dress.