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Nanotech in National Security
MIT's Institute For Soldier Nanotechnologies
History
The Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) is an interdepartmental research center at MIT. Established in 2002 by a five-year, $50 million contract from the U.S. Army, the ISN's research mission is to use nanotechnology to dramatically improve the survival of soldiers. The ultimate goal is to create a 21st century battlesuit that combines high-tech capabilities with light weight and comfort. Imagine a bullet-proof jumpsuit, no thicker than ordinary spandex, that monitors health, eases injuries, communicates automatically, and maybe even lends superhuman abilities. It's a long-range vision for how technology can make soldiers less vulnerable to enemy and environmental threats.
The Challenge
Today's dismounted infantry soldier carries a back-breaking load, usually 100-140 pounds, and still has insufficient ballistic protection, little defense against chemical and biological weapons, and too many pieces of equipment that don't work well together. The ISN's challenge is to transform today's cotton/nylon fatigues and bulky equipment belts to a sleek, lightweight battlesuit that provides everything from responsive armor to medical monitoring to communications—and more—in one integrated system.
Why Nanotech?
Nanotechnology fits into this vision in two important ways. First, it offers the potential for miniaturization, a key part of reducing weight. Today's hefty radio worn on a harness might be reduced to a button-sized tab on the collar. And a waterproof poncho could be replaced by a permanent nano-thin coating applied to everything the soldier carries. Secondly, because nanotechnology operates at length scales where classical macroscopic physics breaks down, it offers engineers the potential for creating unprecedented new materials properties and devices. Nanotechnology can solve problems that scientists have been struggling with for decades.
Army Transformation
The ISN's vision for the soldier of the future is part of a larger transformation going on today in the U.S. Army. Faced with new threats and challenges, the Army is redesigning itself as a lighter, faster, more agile force that can be deployed quickly where soldiers are needed. The ISN supports the Army's Future Force Warrior program, which aims to achieve a soldier-centric force enabled by an integrated individual combat system.
These were taken directly from MIT's Website at
http://web.mit.edu/isn/aboutisn/index.html |
