Lockheed Martin’s Exoskeleton Wins Design Awards and Honors

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 19, 2014 – Lockheed Martin’s FORTIS exoskeleton received several accolades in 2014 highlighting its innovative technology design and its benefit to users in an industrial setting. This year, FORTIS was recognised with a Gold Spark Award from Spark Design & Architecture Awards, named Product Design of the Year by ICON Magazine and also named one of CNN Money’s 36 coolest gadgets of 2014.

The FORTIS exoskeleton is an unpowered, lightweight exoskeleton that increases an operator’s strength and endurance by transferring the weight of heavy loads from the operator’s body directly to the ground. Lockheed Martin recently delivered two FORTIS exoskeletons to the U.S. Navy for testing and evaluation in industrial shipyard environments.

“Form and function are linked in the FORTIS exoskeleton,” said Trish Aelker, exoskeleton technologies programme manager at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “To avoid restricting an operator, the FORTIS exoskeleton was designed to be lightweight and sleek, and we are honoured that our design is being recognised.”

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 113,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation’s net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin