MilTech

Here are ten techs in development by DARPA. Most of them are obviously impractical for the battlefield, but this one is intriguing:



It's called a fatigue reducing suit or soft exoskeleton. I mostly dismiss exoskeletal booster tech for one simple reason: we lack the power density to make it work. It's like trying to create a 747 with 19th century steam engines. Even if you can build the plane, you lack the power source to make it fly. I expect that situation will continue for some time, possibly until we have successfully created controlled microfusion processes, which may well be hundreds of years in the future.

The soft exo is different, though. It uses very basic low-power systems like high elasticity fabrics and simple hydraulics to support the wearer. Rather than boosting the soldier's strength, it is augmenting his load-bearing capacity, taking a part of the weight and impact off of the soldier's legs. My fellow Marines will look at that photo and instantly understand the value: forced marches. After an eight hour march carrying a 100-lb load, your legs are jello. Even young men in very good physical condition find forced marching exhausting. But if this thing can take a portion of the load and soften the impact, a soldier could arrive on the battlefield after a 25 mile march feeling like he's only walked a mile or two. The force multiplier potential here is hard to overstate, especially for light infantry. Not to mention I might have some meniscus left in my knees today if I'd had such a device available to me.

More info on the soft exo here.