Emerging technologies form futuristic uniform

Army News Service ^ | 7 December 2004 | Sgt. Lorie Jewell

[Radix]

Ooh Rah!

Go Army!

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Looks like improvements for tomorrow's military.

[Radix]

I put the author's name in twice instead of the date which was 7 December. Please repair if possible. Thanks.

[mattdono]

That STF stuff sounds really cool.

[mattdono]

[Radix]

The images though few were impressive. Check out the fabric that would not tear under an ice pick.

[mattdono]

Kind of has a Bobo-Fett look to it.

[RightWhale]

Heinlein's Starship Troopers would also carry a couple of nukes.

[leadhead]

Looks like improvements for tomorrow's military.

And anybody else that needs protective gear; Presidents, law enforcement, construction workers,football players, etc.

[Dad2Angels]

"From the waist down, a skeletal system allows the Soldier to carry two or three times his or her body weight"

I especially like this part. When it becomes commercially available it will allow for more options when packing for hikes. I've always wanted to bring the grill-2-go and a cooler of cold ones.

[26lemoncharlie]

Where's the Backpack rocket?

[Gorjus]

Check out the fabric that would not tear under an ice pick.

Actually, it would be possible to penetrate with an icepick, if you did it slowly. It's 'ramming' an icepick through it that the material resists.

That's not a complaint. I think it's an excellent approach. If someone wants to stab you 'slowly' you can usually figure out something to do about it. And that way, it's not stiff until you need it.

What's really interesting about this - to me - is that this sort of limitation is described in Frank Herbert's "Dune." They had force field armor, but the key was that the resistance was proportional to the speed of impact. You could 'shove' a knife through the field, but you couldn't 'ram' it through.

Once again, Science Fiction leads the way for science fact.

[CaptRon]

I want one.

[Cogadh na Sith]

Yeah--the STF Unit. STFU. LOL!

[mattdono]

I was thinking similar thoughts. Or, it would generally make whatever you are already carry (i.e., your "regular" pack) that much easier to carry, increasing your endurance level. As a result, you can hike for longer distances.

[Wallace T.]

The downside to these high tech armored soldiers is that, like the knights of the Middle Ages, they cannot be challenged by civilians armed with readily available weapons. A group of citizens armed even with military small arms like the AR-15 or the AK-47, would be no more able to stop such a force than medieval serfs would have been against mounted, armored knights.

What brought down the autocratic, feudal systems of the Middle Ages was the development of the firearm. The collapse of feudalism set the stage for the development of capitalism and the rise of representative government. The authors of the Second Amendment understood the importance of an armed populace. (The militia referred to in the amendment consisted of all able bodied males between certain ages.) The ability of the citizenry to overthrow a tyrant is the final safeguard against tyranny.

[Dad2Angels]

Miles are my goal these days. I've had my fill of humping a pack up and down the hills with little to show for it. Now I basically base camp and go for distance.

[John Will]

Power Armor is Coming.
I think of the heavier weapons these soliders will carry.

[Redcloak]

Kind of has a Bobo-Fett look to it.

I was thinking something more Goa'uld...

[Old Sarge]

BOTH you guys stole my puns! Dangit!!!