US army seeks ‘Iron Man’ armor for commandos

WASHINGTON: US army researchers are working on building hi-tech body armor that would give soldiers “superhuman strength” in a real-life version of the suit featured in ” Iron Man” films.
The blueprint for the “revolutionary” Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) would include an exoskeleton to allow a soldier to carry heavy equipment, built-in computing power, beefed up protection to stop bullets and a system to monitor vital signs, officials said.
US Special Operations Command, which oversees elite Navy SEAL and Army Ranger commandos, put out the call last month for research papers on potential technologies that a “smart” combat suit could incorporate.
The request for “white papers” will extend through September 2014, and then commanders and defense officials will weigh how to proceed while taking into account growing pressures on the Pentagon budget, said spokesman Roger Teel of the Army’s Research, Development and Engineering Command, or RDECOM.
The new combat armor might also employ “liquid armor,” reminiscent of the Terminator  films, though the technology is still in an early stage of development, Teel told AFP.
“There is a liquid armor that they are looking at developing,” said Teel, adding that scientists at MIT were studying the idea. “It could possibly be turned on with a battery switch” to deflect gunfire, he said.
TALOS “is an advanced infantry uniform that promises to provide superhuman strength with greater ballistic protection,” according to an earlier statement from RDECOM.
Although defense officials acknowledge the project evokes comparisons to Tony Stark’s superhero suit from the Iron Man movies, they note that no one is claiming the smart armor will enable soldiers to soar like a plane over cities.
“It’s not going to fly. It’s not going to be all that,” Teel said. “But it’s going to be special.” (AFP)