Contenido

Aunque el objetivo del programa era incorporar nuevas tecnologías a un traje totalmente motorizado e integrado, los componentes desarrollados en el marco del mismo podrían entregarse individualmente a las tropas en el corto plazo para mejorar su eficacia. Se pueden utilizar armas no letales, nuevos materiales de armadura, equipos de comunicaciones más compactos, visión nocturna avanzada y audio 3D como piezas individuales de equipo antes de que todos ellos se unan en un exoesqueleto motorizado.[15]​ Los elementos desarrollados para TALOS, incluida una mayor capacidad de almacenamiento de datos tácticos que permite diez veces la capacidad de almacenamiento de datos actual, han pasado a satisfacer un requisito operativo inmediato, así como una nueva solución de blindaje que se utiliza para vehículos comerciales no estándar de operaciones especiales. Otros sistemas que serán trasladados incluyen una pequeña antena SATCOM individual para soldados, un exoesqueleto de carga sin alimentación, un chaleco refrigerante motorizado para mantener la temperatura corporal, una antena de próxima generación que incluye sintonización dinámica, el Future Interoperable Radio Enclosure (FIRE), una funda de radio táctica para teléfonos celulares, una armadura híbrida cerámica-metálica liviana de múltiples impactos y una camisa de combate equipada con biosensores que puede monitorear el estado fisiológico de un soldado.[16]​.

Challenges

Defense industry leaders expressed skepticism about SOCOM's financial prospects and the development timeline for TALOS technologies. Admiral McRaven planned to have parts of a prototype by June 2014, and the first "operational independent combat suit prototype" would be delivered by July 2018. Science and technology officials believe that the technologies envisioned for the suit will not be achievable before about 2026; New technologies that need to be developed include next-generation full-body ballistic armor protective materials, powered exoskeletons for mobility and agility, adaptive and wearable computers and antennas, combat-ready displays for soldiers with non-visual means of information display, power generation and thermal management, and integrated medical monitoring and biomechanical modeling. Components manufactured by different companies will have to be designed to work together in a single suit. Power generation was the biggest problem, as there was no lightweight, low-volume power generation system capable of powering the TALOS components. Funding is also a concern, as SOCOM planned to spend $20 million a year on development for a total of $80 million, a figure some consider too low. In previous efforts to create "digitized" soldiers like Land Warrior, the US Army spent $500 million on three major contracts between 1996 and 2006 before their functions became reliable.[17]​.

At the 2015 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, Revision Military displayed its kinetic operations suit prototype on a life-size mannequin. Released a year earlier, the suit features a motorized exoskeleton on the lower body to transfer weight to the belt and is supported by motorized actuators on each leg. The exoskeleton supports a body armor system capable of stopping rifle rounds that surrounds 60 percent of the operator, compared to 18 percent in current armor vests. To relieve weight, leg actuators lift each leg and move it as the person moves, and carry the weight of the helmet, armor and vest down through a rigid, articulated spine, transferring weight from weak areas of the neck and lower back. A small power pack powers the suit, and a cooling vest pumps water through three meters of tubes under the suit to maintain core temperature; power has a cooling fan that can be heard very close, but it is believed that that will not matter after passing through a door. The kinetic operations suit has been subjected to live fire tests and combat scenarios and has successfully performed the same tasks as currently equipped operators in similar amounts of time.[18]​.

Contenido

Aunque el objetivo del programa era incorporar nuevas tecnologías a un traje totalmente motorizado e integrado, los componentes desarrollados en el marco del mismo podrían entregarse individualmente a las tropas en el corto plazo para mejorar su eficacia. Se pueden utilizar armas no letales, nuevos materiales de armadura, equipos de comunicaciones más compactos, visión nocturna avanzada y audio 3D como piezas individuales de equipo antes de que todos ellos se unan en un exoesqueleto motorizado.[15]​ Los elementos desarrollados para TALOS, incluida una mayor capacidad de almacenamiento de datos tácticos que permite diez veces la capacidad de almacenamiento de datos actual, han pasado a satisfacer un requisito operativo inmediato, así como una nueva solución de blindaje que se utiliza para vehículos comerciales no estándar de operaciones especiales. Otros sistemas que serán trasladados incluyen una pequeña antena SATCOM individual para soldados, un exoesqueleto de carga sin alimentación, un chaleco refrigerante motorizado para mantener la temperatura corporal, una antena de próxima generación que incluye sintonización dinámica, el Future Interoperable Radio Enclosure (FIRE), una funda de radio táctica para teléfonos celulares, una armadura híbrida cerámica-metálica liviana de múltiples impactos y una camisa de combate equipada con biosensores que puede monitorear el estado fisiológico de un soldado.[16]​.

Challenges

Defense industry leaders expressed skepticism about SOCOM's financial prospects and the development timeline for TALOS technologies. Admiral McRaven planned to have parts of a prototype by June 2014, and the first "operational independent combat suit prototype" would be delivered by July 2018. Science and technology officials believe that the technologies envisioned for the suit will not be achievable before about 2026; New technologies that need to be developed include next-generation full-body ballistic armor protective materials, powered exoskeletons for mobility and agility, adaptive and wearable computers and antennas, combat-ready displays for soldiers with non-visual means of information display, power generation and thermal management, and integrated medical monitoring and biomechanical modeling. Components manufactured by different companies will have to be designed to work together in a single suit. Power generation was the biggest problem, as there was no lightweight, low-volume power generation system capable of powering the TALOS components. Funding is also a concern, as SOCOM planned to spend $20 million a year on development for a total of $80 million, a figure some consider too low. In previous efforts to create "digitized" soldiers like Land Warrior, the US Army spent $500 million on three major contracts between 1996 and 2006 before their functions became reliable.[17]​.

At the 2015 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, Revision Military displayed its kinetic operations suit prototype on a life-size mannequin. Released a year earlier, the suit features a motorized exoskeleton on the lower body to transfer weight to the belt and is supported by motorized actuators on each leg. The exoskeleton supports a body armor system capable of stopping rifle rounds that surrounds 60 percent of the operator, compared to 18 percent in current armor vests. To relieve weight, leg actuators lift each leg and move it as the person moves, and carry the weight of the helmet, armor and vest down through a rigid, articulated spine, transferring weight from weak areas of the neck and lower back. A small power pack powers the suit, and a cooling vest pumps water through three meters of tubes under the suit to maintain core temperature; power has a cooling fan that can be heard very close, but it is believed that that will not matter after passing through a door. The kinetic operations suit has been subjected to live fire tests and combat scenarios and has successfully performed the same tasks as currently equipped operators in similar amounts of time.[18]​.