'Iron Man 3' Release Date, Cast & Plot Updates: Military to Use Real-Life Iron Man Suit This Year
The military's own Iron Man suit, dubbed as the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS for short, may be unveiled this year.
Back in 2013, LiveScience reported that the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and more than 90 organizations composed of private corporations, universities, laboratories, and government agencies are working together to create this impressive hi-tech suit.
DefenseTech reports that according to Navy Admiral William McRaven, three unpowered TALOS prototypes are currently being assembled and are expected to be unveiled in June of this year. "That suit, if done correctly, will yield a revolutionary improvement in survivability and capability for special operators," McRaven said.
The idea behind TALOS surfaced after a member of spec-ops forces was killed after entering a door of an insurgent's house. An officer raised the question of why isn't there a better way to protect operators entering a structure.
"With all the advanced technology, I know we can do better," McRaven answered.
TALOS will be integrated with a 360-degree camera with night vision capabilities. Its exoskeleton will also feature a special armor that "transforms from liquid to solid in milliseconds when a magnetic field or electric current is applied."
Aside from these, those involved with the project are planning on including a system that displays information about the wearer's surroundings, body temperature, heart rate, and hydration levels.
RDECOM's science advisor Lt. Col. Karl Borjes said, "[The] requirement is a comprehensive body of systems in a combat armor suit where we bring together an exoskeleton with innovative armor, displays for power monitoring, health monitoring, and integrating a weapon into that - a whole bunch of stuff that RDECOM is playing heavily in."
Although TALOS is turning out to be the next evolutionary step in warfare, a professor from MIT working on the project acknowledged the fact the suit still has certain limitations. He said, "For the Army's TALOS, the weak spot is either the need to carry around a heavy pump for a hydraulic system, or lots of heavy batteries. We don't have Iron Man's power source yet."
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