The battle suits of the future

A new venture called the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnology (ISN) is working hard to make the futuristic battle suit. Some of the ideas they are pursuing are those that are only found comic books. Using Nanotechnology, they would like to mimic the strength of natures toughest substance into a man-made garb.

But first ISN researchers are testing the toughness of many natural materials - everything from antlers to armadillo shells to horse hoofs.

They even tried to get dinosaur plates from Norway - but couldn’t get export permits. And Bruet convinced a paleontologist in Paris to give him a prehistoric armored fish from Senegal. Bruet hand-carried it back to Boston for testing.

“We’re going to try to find nature’s toughest material,” says Frick, a material-science major.

And these researchers are not the only ones looking. When ISN is fully staffed, it will have some 35 faculty members; 80 graduate students; and specialists from Raytheon, the DuPont chemical company, two Boston hospitals, and others.

Together, they’re working on a range of projects. One would create “exo-muscles” embedded in the battle suit. These would give soldiers Spider-Man-like strength. But ISN Director Ned Thomas admits it’s probably years from reality.

The exo-muscle is an invention that will really make our soldiers a tough match. The exo-muscle would be able to increase a mans strength 20 fold, at least. One challenge that the ISN faces is how to make the exo-muscle work alongside of the user’s muscles. These projects are somewhat on the back burner. What’s in the forefront of their research is the ability to make everything a soldier carries waterproof. I guess you have to start with baby steps, heh? Perhaps the ISN can take a few lessons from the creator of the Mercury Battle Armor, displayed on this site’s default skin. A design similar in nature is sure to instill fear in those that stand against it.

Source: Christian Science Monitor