The U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory plays an important role in soldier safety

FORT NOVOSEL, Ala. (WTVY) – Prioritizing the safety of our Soldiers – that’s what the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) at Fort Novosel is working to do.

Col. Matthew Hoefer, commander of USAARL, gave News4 a behind-the-scenes look at some of the operations at the lab.

USAARL uses many devices, simulators and computer systems to prepare Soldiers by recreating situations they may encounter in the field.

“We’re really interested in all of their equipment, helmets and vests, but we also want to protect them in their vehicles and aircraft,” Col. Hoefer said.

Some studies performed at USAARL may take as little as an hour or a few days.

One of the responsibilities of USAARL’s Biomechanics and Injury Protection Group (IBPG) is to focus on helmets, seat belts, restraint systems and seating systems in anything soldiers may ride in.

This puts the equipment to the test and ensures it can survive.

“Helmets are very heavy and we like to put a lot of stuff on them, like night vision goggles and so on,” Col. Hoefer explained. “How long can they do their job effectively with all this on their plate?”

USAARL also houses planes often used by the military or paramedics to practice situations on fake patients.

These simulations help them understand what space they need to provide care, where to store equipment, how to set up monitors to know when patients are not feeling well and what care they may need.

Replicas for non-medical providers are also used.

“So someone who could be a crew chief or a mechanic or some other type of soldier and have them in the helicopter, and how we integrate them into medical care to make it better,” Col. Hoefer said.

The moving parts don’t end there. Technicians monitor outdoor cameras, collect data and ensure protocols are performed correctly.

The Volunteer Biomechanics Research Suite focuses primarily on spinal injuries.

“We are conducting human studies to ensure that helmets and the environmental exposures experienced by different soldier populations do not contribute to muscle, skeletal, and especially spine injuries over time,” Col. Hoefer said.

In the Research Suite, they watch soldiers transport casualties in the field.

“We like to look at what it looks like to carry a casualty over long distances, how tiring it is, and whether the technology of assistive devices, such as exoskeletons, distributes the weight and allows the casualty to be moved longer and longer distances,” explained Col. Hoefer.

USAARL will continue to keep our Soldiers safe so they can continue to do the same for us.

For more information about the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, visit usaarl.health.mil.

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