Army 2.0: G.I. Joe military tech is here now

via DVICE by CharlieWhite, via Gizmodo by Sean Fallon

Did you scoff at the accelerator suits shown in the trailer for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra? You shouldn't � similar technology is being developed right now by the U.S. military, and that's just the beginning of how military tech is rapidly evolving.

The U.S. has the most advanced military organization the world has ever known. And it's planning to keep that status. Already dozens of federal agencies, private contractors and intensely smart and motivated people are crafting new and sophisticated weapons that will give America the high-tech edge in warfare for years to come.

Human Universal Load Carrier

The tech: Just when we started scoffing at G.I. Joe's accelerator suit, along comes Lockheed Martin with its Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) exoskeleton. It's a wearable robot, sensing where a soldier intends to go, and then accelerating that movement using its battery-powered titanium frame.

Replaces/Augments: Human legs. Finally, combat equipment designers can load up soldiers with even more gear, advanced weapons, and even things they're not even about to reveal to us.

Weakness? This 53-lb lower-body exoskeleton won't work miracles, but it will allow a mere mortal to accomplish nearly superhuman feats, such as climbing over a 12,000 foot mountain carrying a 100-pound pack without even breathing hard. So far, it only works on the legs.

Deployment date: Full-scale trials began in January, 2010.

Bionic Body Armor

Believe it or not, IBM has filed for a patent on tech that heightens our reflexes so that we could, theoretically,dodge bullets like Neo in The Matrix.

This Bionic Body Armor would continuously scan the area for incoming projectiles. If one is detected, the system would deliver a shock to the muscles causing a swift, reflexive action away from the bullet.

The present invention relates generally to the protection of an individual against a projectile propelled from a firearm. More particularly, the present invention relates to a body armor system and its method of use that is capable of detecting a projectile propelled from a firearm, computing the trajectory of the projectile, and moving the individual out of the path of the projectile to avoid being hit.

XM-25 rifle shoots tiny laser-targeted smart bombs

via�DVICE�by CharlieWhite on 6/5/09

Let's hope this XM-25 rifle with its�smart bullets�doesn't find its way into enemy hands. The system is clever enough to detonate its exploding 25mm bullets within 3 feet of their targets, picking off unfortunate foes with uncanny accuracy, even when they're hiding behind obstacles.

After calculating the target's distance with a laser rangefinder, this lethal weapon sends a radio signal to a chip inside the bullet. That brilliant projectile can precisely measure the distance it's traveled, exploding at precisely the right distance for maximum killage. Ouch.

The U.S. military will begin field testing this crazy tech this year, with the goal of rolling it out on battlefields everywhere in a couple of years. Let's just hope U.S. troops won't need to be on battlefields then.

Via�Gizmowatch