The U.S. Military is designing an all-purpose robot suit along the lines of Tony Stark's creation in "Iron Man", according to a Yahoo! report. The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) won't allow its user to fly, but can mostly do everything else.
According to a quote by Special Operations Command Chief William McRaven, one of the primary purposes of TALOS will be to protect its wearer.
"I'm very committed to this, I'd like that last operator that we lost to be the last operator we lose in this fight or the fight of the future, and I think we can get there," McRaven said.
A special type of lightweight material that can reportedly switch from liquid to solid will ward off bullets and explosives, according to Yahoo! MIT scientists are in charge of its design.
The suit will possess climate control technology capable of protection against extreme environments. Night vision, oxygen supplies, and a special spray that projects foam into wounds to stop bleeding are all features of TALOS.
Details relating to TALOS were discussed last month at Special Operations Command (SOCOM) headquarters in Tampa, Florida, Yahoo! reported. According to Lt. Col. Karl Borjes, the suit will include weaponry, though details on the exact kinds are still under wraps.
"[The] requirement is a comprehensive family of systems in a combat armor suit where we bring together an exoskeleton with innovative armor, displays for power monitoring, health monitoring, and integrating a weapon into that - a whole bunch of stuff," said Lt. Col. Karl Borjes, a science adviser with SOCOM.
TALOS isn't the first attempt at a "super suit" though it's certainly more inclusive than Lockheed Martin's Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) prototype. That suit's main purpose is to increase the carrying capacity of its wearers - and isn't the protective/destructive force TALOS portends to be, Yahoo! reported.
Here's a video simulation of TALOS.
Here's another simulation video
