The U.S. Army has awarded a $5 million contract to the University of Iowa (UI) to lead a groundbreaking study aimed at improving soldier fitness standards and training.

The initiative, called I-STRiKE (Iowa–Soldier Training & Readiness through Kinetic Evaluation), will evaluate the physical demands of combat tasks and assess the effectiveness of the Army Fitness Test (AFT), the physical fitness test of record for all soldiers. More than 300 active-duty soldiers will travel to Iowa City to participate.

Central to the project are Santos and Sophia, advanced digital human avatars or "digital twins" developed at the UI’s Virtual Soldier Research laboratory and licensed to iHuman Technology, Inc. 

These virtual models simulate soldier movement, fatigue, and load-bearing with high precision—helping researchers bridge the gap between lab data and battlefield realities.

“This is a transformative opportunity to align fitness standards with the real physical demands soldiers face,” said Karim Abdel-Malek, principal investigator, UI professor of mechanical engineering, and founder of iHuman. “By combining real soldier data with advanced modeling, we aim to improve readiness, reduce injuries, and enhance training.”

Laura Frey Law, UI professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation science, is co-investigator on the project. The Carver College of Medicine is also collaborating on the project.