The armor Talos project in a computer simulation of a combat demonstration.
U.S. Army RDECOM
Protected and armed with an exoskeleton soldiers! This is both the return of the good old armor but also of science fiction could very well become reality.
The U.S. Agency for Defense (DARPA) has been developing for several months Talos (Tactical Assault Suit Light Operator), an exoskeleton to soldiers of the Army. This armor, visually resembles the internationally known Marvels Iron Man superhero.
A super-armor study
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have given the realization of the armor of Talos by the army. Their goal, make invulnerable thanks to a condensed high-tech soldiers.Researchers are trying to develop a shield from future of a revolutionary liquid that happen in the solid state in a few milliseconds by activating a magnetic or electric charge. The soldier would then be invulnerable to bullets . Researchers at the University of Delaware in 2004 planchaient already on such a project.
The futuristic armor allow the soldier to carry heavy equipment and it will benefit from increased strength.
The soldier of the future would also have a system of monitoring of vital signs and a computer to locate on a battlefield while communicating with the command. The combination should also be able to generate heat or oxygen.
This project is part of a trend of research focuses on man-machine interface, to multiply the capabilities of a single soldier. It was initiated by Admiral William McRaven, head of Special Operations Command, and became famous when he led the Navy SEAL raid to kill Osama bin Laden in May 2011.
The admiral said he was in July "very attached" to the project. "I like to think that the last member of a lost battle commando will be the last and I think we can do that."
Call for other projects
The U.S. Special Operations Command, which oversees the elite commandos of the Navy, "Navy SEAL" and the Army, the "Army Rangers" have appealed to researchers to present projects on technologies that can be incorporated into a "smart armor fight."
Projects may be submitted until September 2014 . The military and Pentagon officials will then decide how to proceed, taking into account the growing budget constraints, said the spokesman of the command of the Army for research, development and engineering, Roger Teel.
According to researchers at RDECOM, the first prototype of Talos could be ready within two or three years.
Talos the United States, France Hercules
France is still far from such a project but is already developing its own exoskeleton for military use.
His name Hercules . Developed by the company RB3D and the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA), it is a mechanical extension of the human body. It is intended to help soldiers in the handling of heavy loads.
