The technology in Iron Man is beginning to get a lot closer to reality now that the U.S. Army has commissioned the creation of a real-life Iron Man suit for its soldiers. The army calls it a Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS), and should provide soldiers with superhuman abilities like protection from gunfire, night vision capabilities and enhanced strength.
According to the army, each suit will comprise of an onboard computer that would have the ability to respond quickly in certain situations along with providing the soldier with enhanced awareness. Furthermore, the suit may use liquid armor, which is a type of metal currently under development at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which has the capability of transforming from a "liquid to solid in milliseconds when a magnetic field or electrical current is applied."
"Though still in development, this technology will likely be submitted to support TALOS," according to the army's press release.
The aim here is for the soldier to have full body ballistic protection, which would allow for walking through a barrage of gunshots without being hurt in the process. In addition, there will be a panel that rests against the skin and it will be capable of detecting body temperature, hydration levels and heart rate. On top of that, the suit will also provide primary life support such as oxygen, heat and air.
The army is already taking steps to make the Iron Man suit a real possibility. According to the press release, the army is attempting to identify current and future technologies that could be integrated into an initial capability within a year. Furthermore, the second goal is to identify if the TALOS could be field tested within 3 years.
That's a very short time frame to get something as complex as the TALOS in prototype working condition. However, if the technology is available and is in usable form, then the U.S. army might just be the first to have a fleet of super soldiers traversing the world.
If the U.S. army is successful in its plan, it could force other countries to look into creating similar superhuman suits for army personnel. The future may end up being very advanced technologically, but that doesn't mean it will turn out to be a safe haven.
