Special Ops Uniform Will Transform Commandos Into an Iron Man Army

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Special Ops Uniform Will Transform Commandos Into an Iron Man Army

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Army researchers are developing an advanced military uniform that would turn a special ops commando into Iron Man.

Army researchers are developing an advanced military uniform that would turn a special ops commando into Iron Man.

The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS, will deliver “superhuman strength with greater ballistic protection” by providing a powered exoskeleton to haul heavier equipment, liquid armor capable of stopping bullets, built-in computers and night vision, as well as the ability to monitor vital signs and apply wound-sealing foam. Put together, the capabilities would make the already elite Special Operation Forces nearly invincible in the field, says the Army.

“[The] requirement is a comprehensive family 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,” said Lt. Col. Karl Borjes, a U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM) science adviser, in a statement.

Among that “bunch of stuff,” MIT engineers are working on a liquid body armor made of magnetorheological fluids that “transform from liquid to solid in milliseconds when a magnetic field or electrical current is applied,” according to the Army.

TALOS, which shares the name of the mythological Greek automaton made of bronze that Zeus assigned to protect his lover Europa, is expected to make a first-generation appearance some time next year.

“I’m very committed to this,” said U.S. Special Operations Command chief Adm. William McRaven to a group of industry representatives at a TALOS presentation in July. “I’d like that last operator that we lost to be the last...