Iron Man suits could be heading to the military for wartime use. The video above shows how the suit would supposedly fit, and the practical application of such a thing.
Most of us have probably seen the film Iron Man 2 with Robert Downey Jr., and recall that the film revolved partially around the government trying to get their hands on the hero’s armor. Now imagine that the US government was who designed it and leave Tony Stark completely out of the story. That’s about what’s happening, or so the military wants it to.
US Special Operations Command chief Admiral William McRaven wants it most certainly. Last month, the top SEAL requested a suit of armor which incorporates an exoskeleton and a liquid body armor. This suit would imbue the soldier wearing it with night vision, superhuman strength, and invulnerability to gunfire, almost completely eliminating human casualties on our side.
What is being called the Iron Man suit is officially being named TALOS (Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit), which may not have the arm and foot thrusters that the Marvel Comics superhero uses, but until that technology is perfected we probably shouldn’t expect to arm soldiers with it.
Admiral William McRaven said in July at SOCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida, that he is very committed to making these suits available.
The liquid body armor is being developed at MIT, and what is does is it “transforms from liquid to solid in milliseconds when a magnetic field or electrical current is applied.” In other words, it moves when you do with minimal resistance.
In addition to its wartime advantages, the suit will also provide heat, air conditioning, and oxygen, as well as monitor health and aid in the healing of wounded soldiers by spraying foam into open wounds to stop the bleeding.
Lockheed Martin is attempting to get the suit to Afghanistan where it can be tested in actual war conditions within a year. If it works, the Iron Man suit could easily turn the tide of future wars.