“If you want this suit, you’re going to have to pry my cold dead body out of it.” Lucky for you, Mr. Tony Stark, it may not have to come to that.
In a large-scale collaboration linking 56 corporations, 16 government agencies, 13 universities and 10 national laboratories, a team of engineers and researchers is putting the final touches on a prototype for an Iron Man-like military combat suit. This suit, called the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS, may be ready for testing this summer.
TALOS is expected to revolutionize filed combat. With its bevy of technological advances, including 360 degree vision, a powered exoskeleton, situational-awareness screens and injury detectors that release foam to seal wounds in time, this is hardly a surprise. In addition to these impressive technologies, TALOS may soon include an exoskeleton made of magnetorheological fluids. These fluids will solidify upon application of a magnetic field or electric current, thereby creating the impossible partnership between flexibility and sufficient protection.
The inspiration behind these developments arose several years ago when a member of the Special Forces was shot after entering a building supposedly occupied by insurgents.
Despite the impressive advances behind military technologies, nothing could guarantee the safety of a soldier as he or she opened a door. Thus, military engineers went back to the drawing board to close the gaps in technological defense.
The development of this suit provides a striking example of the influence military demand has over the progression of research and scientific knowledge. In fact, cutting-edge research and the military have always been closely intertwined. Galileo’s telescope was originally pitched to the Republic of Venice as a military device to spy on enemies. Guns made from interchangeable parts were first developed by French artillery officers during the French Revolution. Repeating rifles, smokeless powder, explosives and telegraphic and wireless communication are all 19th century applications of electricity.
Perhaps the most memorable linking of the military and scientific research occurred during World War I. This war drastically increased the number of private inventors, industrial firms and military research labs. This lead to the development of tanks, flight optimization and, sadly, the introduction of chemical weapons.
Thomas Edison, the great American inventor, was extremely productive during World War I. He created thousands of inventions to benefit the military including the sound detection of submarines, technologies for airplane detection, underwater searchlights and ship camouflage. One of Edison’s greatest military inventions was the telescribe, which enabled the armed forces to record phone conversations.
Many of the inventions that were originally intended for military use have been successfully adapted to our everyday lives. These adapted inventions include GPS, which was first developed by the United States Department of Defense in the 1990s, and duct tape, which was originally invented in World War II as a way for military men to wrap ammunition cases for the prevention of water damage. Perhaps the most ubiquitous of all military inventions is the computer: The first multipurpose version of this now indispensable technology, called ENIAC, was established for military use in the Ballistic Research Laboratory. Other inventions that stemmed from military research are the EpiPen, cargo pants, freeze drying, the Jeep, jerrycans and every college student’s best friend, the microwave.
Sadly, this suit is not likely to be released for public use. Nonetheless, if all goes according to plan, the TALOS suit may be ready for an operational field system by August 2018.
