(Left) The Battle Dress Uniform (BDU) in woodland camouflage. First issued in 1981 was replaced in 2008 with the (Right) Digital Army Combat Uniform. New smart-uniform may be the next generation. (via US Army)
The US Army has been known to develop some of the most advanced technology out in the world - the gear carrying Big Dog robot that walks or runs alongside army mates while withstanding any hit short of a missile is a testament to that statement. Now, through the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies venture, the Army and MIT are teaming up to provide soldier uniforms with a high-tech fashion upgrade.
The development of this project started a few years ago when Yoel Fink, a materials science professor at MIT, discovered that fibers used for fiberoptics could be fabricated out of a various assortment of materials through a process known as thermal drawing. Rather than sticking to the conventional glass filaments used in fiber optics, a composite fiber would allow fiber-operated devices to be built by choosing material strands with specific inherent properties.
Then, the idea to weave these compound fibers into an Army uniform to create a self-sensing and auto-communicating tech wear was engendered.
The goals for this project includes developing sensing fabrics that detect the outside environment to immediately localize threats and communicate with fellow soldiers, as well as enhancing the uniform to detect real-time physiological measurements of each soldier remotely. By combining a variety of materials, which include insulators, semiconductors, piezoelectric, acoustic transducers, and photo sensing technologies, a fully functional fiber is drawn and retrofitted to an Army uniform.
Both teams hope that the uniform upgrade will help bridge the communication gap that can be quite hectic on the battlefield. For instance, the technology can help inform other soldiers to the specifics of a wounded battle mate using the heat sensing fiber technologies. The tech would keep everyone linked and thus alert soldiers about incoming threats - the ultimate goal here being to save lives.
For now, the fiber-sensing uniform is at the prototype stage. The fabric, currently measuring 1 mm in diameter will need to be reduced to a size of about 100 microns before they will be thin enough for actual use. John Joannopoulos, the program’s director, plans to spend the next 10 years developing the technology. Hopefully by then, the tech won’t have a reason to be used on the battlefield, but it is nice to know that people are hard at work protecting the safety of our soldiers.
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