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Different divisions of the U.S. armed forces, as well as other government agencies such as Darpa, are all working on developing high-tech armor that will help not only provide soldiers with full-body ballistic protection, but will also give them superhuman-like capabilities.
Think enhanced vision, increased upper body strength, improved speed and even amplified situational awareness.
Some of the technology that the soldier of the future may wear could include advanced sensors, that can respond to brain functions; smart fabrics that could provide hemorrhage control; and a heads-up display that could provide real-time battlefield data. An exoskeleton that enhances physical performance—and also captures kinetic energy to power the soldier's attire—could also be part of the future uniform.
Although this might sound like something straight out of a scene from a science fiction movie, it's actually not that far off from becoming a reality.
TALOS
The U.S. military is
currently working on a system called the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit
(TALOS)—which is aimed at providing greater ballistic coverage as well as increased
strength—for Special Operations troops. "The next 20 years are going to be transformational years," said Michael Fieldson, the program manager for TALOS.
The first TALOS prototype is expected to be delivered in June, and a fully functional version is expected to roll out to U.S. Commandos by 2018.
By 2039, the
suit could have many of the advanced capabilities mentioned, if not more.
The TALOS team
is currently working with a slew of companies on the TALOS vision including
defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and Boeing. It's also partnering with some unexpected
companies including Nike, Adidas and Under Armour.
Future of defense robots
Tim Trainer, head of defense products at iRobot,
demonstrates where defense robots are now, and where they may be in 25 years --
human faces? Weapons?
"We are
able to solicit broad participation from non-traditional partners, and what
that does is lower the development costs and increase the deployment timeline
at bringing in new technologies," Fieldson said. "And this kind of
collaboration could rev up the kinds of technology that are possible in the
next 20 years."
Although TALOS
is often referred to as the "Iron Man" suit, the military is actually
working to make the uniform as lightweight, durable and discreet as possible.
"Twenty
years from now will everyone have space boots? Probably not, it will be much
more effective equipment that is lighter than what general purpose forces have
today," Fieldson said.
Merging
man and machine
Machines and
mankind will merge as technology advances, and that will mean a heap of
benefits for soldiers in battle, said Tod Lovell, a technology director at
Raytheon.
One of the goals
of the TALOS' team is to use antennas and computers embedded into the suit to
help increase situational awareness.
For example, if
a soldier is looking in one direction, the technology in the suit would sense
that and alert the wearer if something was awry in another direction.
It may
communicate this through a vibration, or it could even alert the wearer via a
message displayed in a heads-up display.
In other words,
the technology in future armor will really complete humans, Lovell said.
"The really
cool thing is that technology is going to start really paying attention to the
state of the human," Lovell said. "It won't just be the human
operating part of the technology. The human will be part of that system. The
system would adapt to the human."
Computers
on the inside
Some of the
technology may even be placed inside of the soldiers' bodies.
"Twenty-five
years from now, we may be to the point where the sensors are embedded in the
skin and the person becomes the processor," Lovell said.
The company MC10
is already building "conformable electronics," which mesh with a person's
skin much like temporary tattoos. These electronics contain sensors that can
monitor data from the brain, muscles, heart as well as other biometric
information.
Although the
company is in the process of applying to work on TALOS, it already has military
partnerships, including a project it is about to begin with the Air Force where
it will put patches inside clothing that will monitor things such as indicators
of stress and fatigue, said Barry Ives, director for MC10's advanced programs
and military.
The company also
uses its flexible, ultra-thin electronics to make solar panels that can be
embedded into clothing. It has partnered with the Army to test the flexible
energy harvesters, which are placed on soldiers' helmets, rucksacks and other
gear. The goal is to create enough energy to power soldiers' devices when
they're in the field.
But whether
these types of flexible electronics are embedded in the skin, or in a soldier's
clothing, it's clear that new technology like this is going to be used.
"As you
look out 25 years, I'm not sure we know or will even recognize the things that
will come out," Lovell said. "But I think a lot of the new
science—the quantum computing, lower power devices and advanced sensors—they
are going to continue to change the game."
—By CNBC's Cadie
Thompson.
