Soldiers

Soldiers and tactical unit police officers often have a lot of heavy gear to carry, including the ballistic body armor that they're wearing. That's where the ExoM Up-Armoured Exoskeleton is intended to come in, as it's load-reducing and bulletproof.

Precisely locating the positions of both friends and foes is key for a mission to roll out both smoothly and without avoidable casualties. The US Army has just revealed its latest innovation, a head-up display system for soldiers called “Tactical Augmented Reality,” or TAR.

Information can be a soldier’s most important weapon. Rockwell Collins has unveiled the Integrated Digital Vision System, a HUD that attaches to combat helmets and relays data from a command center, other warfighters or drones, as well as augmenting the wearer’s vision with multispectral sensors.

At the recent DSEI exhibition in London, Britain's Ministry of Defence (MOD) took the wraps off its Future Soldier Vision (FSV) concept that is based on projections of today's commercial and military technology.

Researchers from the University of California at Irvine are developed a stick-on covering that could let soldiers hide from infrared light. It utilizes the same protein that's found in squids' color-changing skin.

A team from Northwestern University has developed a new material capable of neutralizing nerve gases. The zirconium-based NU-1000 is not only useful not only disposing of stockpiles of such toxins, but also for use in gas masks and protective suits for soldiers and rescue workers.

A video game called Rover that was developed by the US military uses an Xbox Kinect is being used to help train dog handlers to detect subtle cues from canines that are used to sniff out buried improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

In a small taste of things to come in military operations, the US Marine Corps has tested the mettle of a self-driving mini-truck at the 2014 RIMPAC international naval exercise.

Next January, a squadron of disabled British servicemembers is scheduled to fly to the South Pole in up to five open-cockpit microlights to show what severely disabled people can achieve and inspire others to seek rehabilitation.

The US Army is developing technology for a compact self-contained mask for soldiers. It would not only enable masks lighter and less cumbersome than existing ones that rely on a separate battery pack and blower unit connected to the mask via a hose, but also help keep soldiers cool.

The US Army’s Future Holistic Training Environment Live Synthetic program is a new approach to combat training that integrates various simulations into a single, remotely accessible system.

Recognizing nature's potential in the development of new technologies, DARPA has announced the establishment of the Biological Technologies Office (BTO), a new division that aims to, "merge biology, engineering, and computer science to harness the power of natural systems for national security."