US Army to Try Out New, Anime-based Uniforms

PenguinRadio writes "This is being reported in a few places, most notably USA Today which has an article about the US Army teaming up with MIT to develop a new nanotechnology-based outfit for our soldiers that can detect bio hazards, injury, and other funky things. The 5 year, $50 million grant also wants to look at bending light around the uniform to create some sort of invisibility." CNET has another story. The Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies has its own web page, of course.

Comments

Anime?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmm.. What does Anime have to do with any of this? Are Slashdot editors hoping that female soldiers will be outfitted with scantily-clad, breast-hugging Anime style getups?

Re:Anime?

[susano_otter]

Did you look at the artist's rendition? The guy is clearly ripping off Masamune Shirow. And the actual suit concepts (which are really unrelated to the artist's rendition) aren't that much different from the hard Japanese SF anyway.

But seriously, look at the gun in that picture. It's obviously a Seburo!

Re:Anime?

[Rimbo]

Not only does the picture look like something out of anime, but there's also the issue of the gravity-defying D-cup breasts in the picture, long a staple of anime SF. This artist watched too much Bubblegum Crisis or Ghost in the Shell.

But it brings up an interesting thought sort of in-line with the last line of the C|Net article. Imagine having a troop of women wearing these things dealing with issues in the Middle East, where women are second-class citizens. "Tell me to be subservient now, willya?" blam blam blam... It's no big thing for a woman to be a good fighter to Westerners, but in the Middle East, talk about adding insult to injury... You're not only getting killed, but you're getting killed by seemingly invicible warriors protected by armor and endowed with superhuman abilities, but by squads of seemingly invincible, armored, superhuman women.

Too awesome.

Re:Anime?

[An Onerous Coward]

As someone who has actually been in the Army, this is something we very definitely do not want. Any pleasure derived from seeing certain military type women scantily clad must be weighed against the risk of, well, seeing certain other military type women scantily clad.

In the end, the reward just isn't worth the risk.

old news

[kb3edk]

We Metal Gear fans have long known that stealth camo and nanomachines became standard equipment for FoxHound operatives in 1995. "Find... Big Boss! Destroy... Outer Heaven!"

Re:old news

[TheGreenLantern]

Suprisingly, infiltrating enemy strongholds using cigarettes and a cardboard box seldom works in real life.

re: 5-year MIT program

[bob_clippy]

Supercharged shoes could release energy when soldiers jump, propelling them over a 20-foot wall.

Put me down for $100 on MIT for the 2007 NCAA torney.

Re:How Are These Anime-Based?

[John_Booty]

...Besides, if they were really ANIME-based, these suits would be easily pilotable by 13 year-olds.

In fact, they'd probably be pilotable ONLY by 13-year olds, as the result of some plot twist!

Re:How Are These Anime-Based?

[ghostlibrary]

It's anime-like because, in combat, the two sides will simply hang back and stare at each other for a while. Then both will fire off everything they have with explosive fury. When the dust settles... both sides will still be standing, but the collateral damage to the area will be _huge_ and there will be massive civilian casualties.

Oh, wait, that's how modern military actions are now. Alas.

Is this really a good thing

[Spit_Fire1]

Supercharged shoes could release energy when soldiers jump, propelling them over a 20-foot wall.
-What happens after the wall, is there also a parachute, or are you just supposed to land after your 20 foot fall.

Micoreactors could detect bleeding and apply pressure.
-So that the enemies crackers can cut off circulation in battle to help their side

Light-deflecting material could make the suit blend in with surroundings.
-So that the number of soilders hurt or killed by friendly fire increases.

MIT's research centers had been working on nanotechnology ideas long before getting involved with the Army, but not with military applications in mind.
-Isn't that how it always happens, soon the MIT reasercher will make a peace time achievment award.

Re:Is this really a good thing

[Danse]

What happens after the wall, is there also a parachute, or are you just supposed to land after your 20 foot fall.

GO! GO! Gadget Pogo-Stick!

Re:Power?

[kilroy_hau]

You need to put your SCV's to gather minerals and vespene gas. That's all that's needed, really

Anime = DBZ?

[Havokmon]

Here I thought MIT got $50 million to develop loose t-shirts and excessive narration.

Re:How Are These Anime-Based?

[pizen]

In fact, they'd probably be pilotable ONLY by 13-year olds, as the result of some plot twist!

But only if the suit turns out to be your enemy.

Re:Light bending?

[SanLouBlues]

Actually the light bending will be incorporated into the very skin of the soldiers, with a light mask to cover the eyes. They will have to fight naked of course, but this is causing the Joint Chiefs to rethink allowing women on the battlefield.

Of course, if the light gets bent around the soldier, how will any hit their eyes so they can see?

old news

[Dr. Awktagon]

I have a shirt that can track how many days I've gone without bathing, using a "handsfree background olfactory indicator". High tech stuff, really.

Also, I haven't tried it myself, but I think past the 30-day point it is indeed actually capable of bending light waves. It could probably also melt steel. Though due to the olfactory indicator mentioned above, it isn't exactly what I'd call "invisible"...

Can I have a million dollar grant for this invention? Erm, yeah, I'll understand if you don't want to deliver the check in person.

Cool trick

[fobbman]

Bend light? The best we've been able to accomplish around the lab is break wind.

Good news/Bad news

[BluedemonX]

The GOOD news is, every female soldier will now be a 38 DDD.

The bad news is, these suits are NOT proof against suddenly-appearing, demonic phallic tentacles.

New dress code?

[BluedemonX]

Well, obviously now soldiers will be allowed to walk around with big, shaggy, turquoise or bright green hair.

a BAD IDEA

[maddogsparky]

Obviously this is a BAD IDEA, because some soldier's cloaking device will fail, he will be killed by some pathetic little humanoid and he will end up taking out a square mile with a thermo-nuclear explosion.

Or worse, he will be killed and we will have to give a primitive weapon to his killer as a trophy and abandon the planet.

Re:"how little soldiers are actually used"

[Dr.Dubious DDQ]

just recruiting wee folk from the Irish American community?

"Green Clovers, Purple Hearts, Black Rifles..." ("The Taliban is after me lucky charms(tm)!"...)

$50 million?

[theCURE]

give me $50 million, i'll show you how to disappear

HAH! A Mental Picture

[Petersko]

We're gonna make soldiers so incredibly expensive that we can't afford very many.

Then we'll send them into battle, whereupon they'll be vastly outnumbered by hoards of people carrying rocks.

Last words? "Ah... now here's a problem we didn't consider..."

What's the difference between... (joke)

[HEbGb]

What's the difference between an MIT mechanical engineer and and MIT civil engineer?

.
.
.
.

Mechanical engineers build weapons, and civil engineers build targets.

Ha!

Oh my god!!!

[Dirtside]

The military is going to hire Cobra Commander!

Re: 5-year MIT program

[nEoN nOoDlE]

Put me down for $100 on MIT for the 2007 NCAA torney.

or the Darwin Awards...