There will be some soldiers in the Canadian Army who are trying their new bionic knees. Thanks to a contract awarded by the Canadian Military to Spring Loaded, a Halifax-based company, the CA$1 million contract will be a total of 190 bionic knee braces with the first 60 already delivered early this month.

Awarded under the Canadian Innovation Program, Spring Loaded will be delivering the UpShot, a military-grade brace the weighs 0.9kg which soldiers utilise its liquid spring for shock absorption, and mitigate the impact to their knees. This is based on Spring Loaded’s Levitation knee brace that was successfully crowdfunded on Indiegogo in 2016 and designed to meet the military specifications.

The UpShot, which can be pre-ordered from Spring Loaded’s store costs US$3,800 and will be available to civilians by the 1st of November 2016. According to the company, the UpShot has added ultra-high strength reinforced carbon shells, integrated knee pad protection, full force customization, and maximum force output.

Apart from protecting the knees from injury, the UpShot can enhance performance and lessen muscle fatigue. For soldiers who always carry heavy loads or recuperating from knee injuries, the UpShot is a blessing if it performs as claimed by the company.

The Canadian Army are testing the UpShot with soldiers putting it through the paces of sitting, walking and running on a treadmill. Then further on, according to CBC News, it will be subjected to even more rigorous testing with soldiers using it whilst carrying backpacks and using military vehicles.

If the UpShot’s pricing is too much for you, there is still the original Levitation which can be used for those in sports and those who needed a device to help them with their heavy loads  and it will also be available on November first for a price of US$1,750.00.