A Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) trial reported on 14 October 2026 took a human-centred design approach to equipment that soldiers wear or carry. The HEADS UP project, run with the University of Chichester and QinetiQ, involved serving soldiers from the Queen's Royal Hussars, Princess of Wales Royal Regiment, Royal Dragoon Guards and Royal Engineers at the University of Chichester. Participants were invited to wear a custom rig simulating different head-mounted load configurations while carrying out representative military tasks.

Dstl said increased head mass is associated with higher metabolic and thermal demands, greater biomechanical loading and neck muscle strain, and increased attentional and cognitive demands, all of which could affect performance. The study collected physiological, biomechanical and cognitive measures including movement speed, muscle activity, motion capture, metabolic cost, cognitive performance and eye-tracking.

Matt, the Dstl lead from the Human Augmentation project, said the trial placed the soldier at the centre of new equipment design and that reducing effects such as fatigue could improve performance, lethality, agility and resilience. Professor Sam Blacker of the University of Chichester said a multidisciplinary team was investigating the effects of additional load mass on physical and cognitive aspects of soldier performance. Dstl said the findings would support development and adoption of new capabilities across the Ministry of Defence.