Meet TALOS, the U.S. Military’s Soon-To-Be Real Life ‘Iron Man’

- The US Special Operations Command is looking for revolutionary new gear assisting troops in exceeding human performance in combat. The idea sounds similar to a science fiction tale, but if the command will be successful in its quest -- this time it may be real. The command has posted a Request For Information (RFI) to government research centers, academy and industry, to provide information that could contribute to the evolution of the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS. Defense-Update reports: http://defense-update.com/20130601_so...

No one is saying whether or not U.S. Special Operations Command Chief Adm. William McRaven is a fan of the "Iron Man" franchise, but somewhere or other he got the idea to create a special armored exoskeleton that military personnel can wear in the field to make themselves invincible against enemy fire. Sound familiar?

During a meeting last month at Special Operations Command (SOCOM) headquarters in Tampa, Florida, McRaven talked with defense industry representatives about his ideas for what's being called the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS, a system of highly advanced body armor that can do everything from warding off explosions to sealing up wounds and allowing soldiers to see in the dark. Check out the combat simulation below and see if it doesn't remind you of a certain billionaire playboy's work outfit.

The real difference here, of course, is that McRaven's not talking about movies. "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.

"[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.

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-talk/meet-talos-u-military-real...