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U.S. Army Testing Personal Cooling Suits

DJ BenBen writes to tell us that they Army is currently testing some 500 liquid cooled vests with Humvee crews in Iraq. From the article: "The Humvees with add-on armor were fitted with air conditioners after TARDEC engineers in Warren, Mich., were given the requirement to figure out how Soldiers in armored vehicles could be kept cool under the desert sun. Some of the same engineers had designed the add-on armor kits for the M-998 and M-1025 Humvees in theater. But with the extra armor and doors closed, temperatures inside the vehicles could reportedly reach more than 130 degrees. 'It's like putting somebody in a toaster oven on low heat,' said Charlie Bussee, an engineer at TARDEC."

6 of 398 comments (clear)

  1. Sounds cool but... by rubberbando · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is it such a good idea to 'Slashdot' a MILITARY website?

    Lets hope they don't hit back....

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    DEAD DEAD DEAD DELETE ME
    1. Re:Sounds cool but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      At least our military friends now will not get hot under the collar...

    2. Re:Sounds cool but... by Tackhead · · Score: 5, Funny
      > Is it such a good idea to 'Slashdot' a MILITARY website?
      >
      > Lets hope they don't hit back....

      Especially if their sysadmin's wearing one of these watercooling vests. If you thought the Bastard Operator From Hell was bad-ass, you should see him when he's overclocked.

  2. Holy Pork Fatman! by Marxist+Hacker+42 · · Score: 5, Funny

    And exactly why would you ask scientists and engineers in MICHIGAN to test the effect of a DESERT environment? Utah I could understand. Or Nevada. Or Arizona. Or New Mexico. But Michigan?

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    SJW: a person who perceives an injustice, and while correcting it, commits a greater injustice.
  3. militray spending by minus_273 · · Score: 4, Funny

    military spending is such a waste. I can't remember the last time i used something developed by the military. I think the net would be a better place without this kind of research.

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    The war with islam is a war on the beast
    The war on terror is a war for peace
  4. Re:Here's a problem by CaymanIslandCarpedie · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sure, the hoses are quick-release, but now he's got yet another layer of clothing on in the desert heat, a layer that probably doesn't help his maneuverability. Perhaps there's a better solution.

    Ya know, I've been reading Popular Mechanics and I think in the next hundred years we'll see cooling systems mounted directly inside of the vehicles. These systems will cool the air and then blow it onto the vehicle's occupants. Now I don't suggest these are ready for common use yet, but one day it could be very useful for for are troops in such environments.

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    "reality has a well-known liberal bias" - Steven Colbert