ABSTRACT
Many soldier tasks require lift ing heavy objects while in unusual postures. Th e percentage of soldiers who can complete specifi c tasks and the potential for injury to these soldiers resulting from completing these tasks is unknown. Th ere is no easy way to directly measure the internal and external forces generated by a human subject while completing lift ing tasks in unusual postures; however, these forces are likely associated with the potential for injury. Nevertheless, biomechanical models of lift ing can be used to design the task in a way that is more suited to the soldier, can estimate the percentage of soldiers who can complete a specifi c task, and can be used to estimate the internal and external forces exerted on the soldier while completing a task. Redesigning the task to be more suited to the soldier can reduce the potential for injury, make the soldier more effi cient, and increase the percentage of soldiers that can safely complete the task.
