October 30, 2013
THEY look like superheroes or supervillains from the big screen, only they are real life soldiers.
New high-tech equipment and body armour developed for armies around
the world is turning troops into flesh and blood versions of video game
warriors.The science fiction video game-style equipment is designed to save the lives of soldiers in modern battlefield situations, such as roadside bombs or close combat with high-powered assault weapons.
Taiwan's military armour for one of its elite combat units, designed for maximum protection against close range shots features full-faced masks and bullet proof body armour including chest and leg protection.
In the US, a new helmet developed for the army transforms troops into the cybernetically enhanced human super-soldier, Master Chief John-117, from the Xbox game, Halo.
The digital display projected on the inside of the visor is similar to Google Glass.
A detachable ballistic visor and lightweight jaw piece provide added protection against the higher number of facial injuries resulting from roadside bombs.
In regions like Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers had suffered face injuries from the fragments of improvised explosive devices and fling rocks and glass, necessitating improved protection, said Don Lee, who lead the Natick project.
"Going by a recent (Joint Trauma Analysis and Prevention of Injury in Combat) report, of all the injuries to the head, 72 per cent are to the face," Lee told army.mil.
"When the soldiers wore the prototype systems with the visor and mandible, it was the first time that they weren't eating sand and dust and rocks going down the road.
"Being able to don that (mandible and visor) protection when needed or being able to remove it when not needed is the big 'wow' factor."
Biomechanics improved the fit, balance and weight of the helmets.
"If you hang a quarter-pound (110 grams) on the front, it feels like nothing, but what about after a 12-hour mission?" he said.
Last weekend, it was reported an Australian soldier in Afghanistan was saved by "state-of-the-art" body armour which reportedly stopped a round from an Afghani soldier piercing his body.
Australian troops have been wearing more than $27,000 worth of combat gear on duty in Afghanistan.
Chief of the NZ Defence Force, Lieutenant General Rhys Jones, revealed details of the incident, saying the Australian's injuries could have been far worse.
"Initial assessment is that it's some of the shrapnel as the bullet hit the chest of the Australian and with the body armour, the bullet disintegrated," he said.
"Some of the shrapnel went into the arm of the Australian soldier that was hit, another part went into the foot [of the New Zealand soldier].
"We were fortunate that both the Australians and New Zealanders were wearing world-class self-protection body armour."
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http://www.news.com.au/technology/design/superhero-or-supervillain-soldiers-dressed-for-futuristic-battlefield/story-fnjwubd2-1226749630115
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