Ever see a movie like "Iron Man" and think to yourself: "Why doesn't someone just build that?"
That seems to be exactly what the U.S. Army thought when it saw the film. The military is asking those in the technology industry, government labs and the world of academia to help built a smart armor suit that would give troops the superhuman edge they need in intense combat situations.
According to BBC News, other exoskeletons that allow soliders to carry large loads much further have already been developed and tested by the army however, the army is calling for the suit to meet certain specifications.
It should be made of smart material fitted with sensors to monitor body temperature, heat rate and levels of hydration. Odds are good it will also use hydraulics at the arms and legs to greatly increase the strength of the person wearing it.
"The requirement is a comprehensive family of systems in a combat armour suit where we bring together an exoskeleton with innovative armour, displays for power monitoring, health monitoring, and integrating a weapon into that," said Lt Col Karl Borjes, a science adviser at the US Army's research, development and engineering command. It's advanced armour. It's communications, antennas. It's cognitive performance. It's sensors, miniature-type circuits. That's all going to fit in here, too."
Unlike the film, the army acknowledges that no one person can built such armor and is opening the project up to development organizations, private industry leaders, government labs and academics to facilitate rapid growth of the project.
The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) currently in development has many of these feature but is lacking in some of the key areas the U.S. Army is concerned about including being fitted with smart materials and sensors. The suit will also reportedly need some kind of wearable computer system similar to the Google Glass.
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