Titanium combat version of powered exoskeleton 3+ years out

U.S. Special Operations Command will put a human into its powered combat exoskeleton in the middle of 2019.

The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (TALOS) is a complex system with many state-of-the-art technologies.

The suit is comprised of a base layer, an exoskeleton which is essentially a robotic skeleton, and a layer of armor. Concepts of the suit show armor from head to toe and include a complex helmet with built-in situational awareness and communications capabilities.

This will not become a fieldable prototype.

The exoskeleton has been problematic.

800-part exoskeleton prototypes have been built using carbon fiber plastics, which are strong enough to replicate and prove the designs.

After the design is finalized, they will make it with more expensive materials like titanium.

They have already fielded base layer systems that help with passive thermal regulations through tubes that move fluids around the body, either warm or cold, depending on the outside environment and the heat the body is already giving off.

Some elements of the system have already been pushed out to operators in real operational missions.

Some subcomponents of the system will reach a high technology readiness level by the end of the year.

Suit development has led to technology breakthroughs in sensors that monitor the physiological and biological status of the body.

The lithium polymer battery developed through the program is putting out a tremendous energy density. Solid oxide fuel cells will have to be miniaturized.

If the operators say it’s useful, then US military will get it rolled out as fast as possible.

47 thoughts on “Titanium combat version of powered exoskeleton 3+ years out”

  1. Bad idea since only a small portion of the population would qualify and most of then are very old. I would much prefer if everyone served.

  2. Of course this was the normal system for thousands of years.Used to be, the political power and wealth was all in the hands of the nobility. And what was the nobility? It was the officer corp of the military wasn’t it?Not a member of the military (or veteran)? Then no political power and only low level wealth.Not that it prevented them having wars all the time…

  3. Of course this was the normal system for thousands of years.

    Used to be, the political power and wealth was all in the hands of the nobility. And what was the nobility? It was the officer corp of the military wasn’t it?
    Not a member of the military (or veteran)? Then no political power and only low level wealth.

    Not that it prevented them having wars all the time…

  4. I agree re need for force projection. However, if the goal is to take & hold territory, human beings must be on the ground.

  5. Write your Congress man and tell him you are tire of these forever wars. If we are going to war then we go with overwhelming force. And we all have skin in the game. Tell him we need the draft back and we need everyone but children and very old people to be part of it.

  6. At the very least, that would be a dramatic improvement over the current system. How do we get it implemented though?

  7. I was thinking of a sphere with detachable tentacles. If a tentacle gets damage it would get ejected. The machine would kill with the tip of the tentacle. It would have two modes of transportation. The first where the tentacles would act like a wheel and it would roll across the battle field and the second where it would hunker down and slide across the battle field. It would just hunt and kill. But there is a danger to fighting wars when your own life is never at risk. If it is too easy you will always find a reason to kill the others.

  8. You don’t have to. All you have to do is make sure they can’t wriggle out. No excuses. No ‘bone spur” excuses. And no joining the “National Guard” excuses. Your number gets called for combat you serve. You can’t fire a gun then you dig toilet pits. Everyone must have skin in the game, full stop. This should also include members of Congress and the President’s family.

  9. Write your Congress man and tell him you are tire of these forever wars. If we are going to war then we go with overwhelming force. And we all have skin in the game. Tell him we need the draft back and we need everyone but children and very old people to be part of it.

  10. I was thinking of a sphere with detachable tentacles. If a tentacle gets damage it would get ejected. The machine would kill with the tip of the tentacle. It would have two modes of transportation. The first where the tentacles would act like a wheel and it would roll across the battle field and the second where it would hunker down and slide across the battle field. It would just hunt and kill.

    But there is a danger to fighting wars when your own life is never at risk. If it is too easy you will always find a reason to kill the others.

  11. You don’t have to. All you have to do is make sure they can’t wriggle out. No excuses. No ‘bone spur” excuses. And no joining the “National Guard” excuses. Your number gets called for combat you serve. You can’t fire a gun then you dig toilet pits. Everyone must have skin in the game, full stop. This should also include members of Congress and the President’s family.

  12. Come up with mobile, agile ground-locomotive drones. Maybe they’d have some combination of wheels and legs. Better to do it with machines, and save humans the suffering, injury and death.

  13. Come up with mobile, agile ground-locomotive drones. Maybe they’d have some combination of wheels and legs. Better to do it with machines, and save humans the suffering, injury and death.

  14. Better yet: increase the odds of being drafted as a person’s wealth increases. Also, increase the odds for people with wealth held overseas, people whose employers do business overseas, etc. Let people serve in proportion to their interests.

  15. We don’t need exoskeletons. What we need is the ability to put a lot more boots on the ground during a war. We need to bring back the draft. And we should draft 18 to 65 years old, men and women. Give them 3 months training and add them to the reserve. When we go to war we call up a few million by lottery. This way everyone would have skin in the game.

  16. Add active camouflage to the exo-skeleton with noise suppression and you could have a stealth warrior. They would be good for scouting and sabotage.

  17. Better yet: increase the odds of being drafted as a person’s wealth increases. Also, increase the odds for people with wealth held overseas, people whose employers do business overseas, etc. Let people serve in proportion to their interests.

  18. We don’t need exoskeletons. What we need is the ability to put a lot more boots on the ground during a war. We need to bring back the draft. And we should draft 18 to 65 years old, men and women. Give them 3 months training and add them to the reserve. When we go to war we call up a few million by lottery. This way everyone would have skin in the game.

  19. Killer robots (or avatars) are cheaper and can be mass produced. If it’s just death & destruction in the requirement specification, humans can stay behind the front line.What is needed are directed energy weapons. That will be a game changer. If sufficiently compact, they can be fitted to fast drones that do flyby shooting of an entire arena before anyone can blink.On the strategic (fighting developed adversaries) side, the US should use their delta-V superiority to their advantage. By launching kinetic weapons, mining equipment, tugs, solar farms etc., a huge amount of force projection can be built up at comparatively low cost. The best thing about it is the infra structure can be productive and put to good use in times of peace.

  20. You are aware that the Ewoks battle scene in Return of the Jedi was fiction right? In real life rocks and sticks do not allow people to battle against automatic weapons.

  21. Does the helmet come with night vision googles and a flash light just in case the night vision googles dont work and a some bandages at the back of the helmet to patch some blood at contact and is it like scuba gear wait if it is they would sink to the bottom so not the best I think?

  22. I really hope the operator can see that its worthwhile.This can change the history of humanity simply by jumping into that suit of armor and testing it out.

  23. As I’ve said before, the aim of US military tech development should be to make all forms of warfare as expensive as open ocean naval warfare.To even start a battle in the center of the Pacific you need a carrier battle group or at the very least some nuclear subs. Minimum a few $billion just to lose, let alone win. Which is fantastic from our point of view. Because that means that any possible conflict will be between superpowers, who are part of MAD and hence won’t start in the first place.Air wars are partway there. Large and medium wealthy nation states like Iraq could throw a few jet fighters into the sky, but without the structured force, backup and training bases to pose a threat for more than a couple of days.But ground combat? A fourth world teenager with a $100 AK47 and he’s a serious threat that, if not equal to a 1st world soldier, is still someone who can kill our guys, and maybe overwhelm them with numbers in certain times and places.The ideal situation would be if the minimum effective infantry package was $250 000 worth of equipment that needed regular logistic support. How many men could the first world field? A million, easy. How many men could a narcotics and sexslave financed radical tribe in darkest messedupistan field? 1? 5? *And once again the world would be in that happy situation expressed in poetry back in the 19th century.Whatever happens, we have gotThe maxim gun, and they have not*By the way, you offer $5 million to any bad guy who deserts and hands over a functioning battle suit. For $100 million you could completely disarm a third world nation, for the cost of just airlifting a division to deal with them through combat. And the distrust would mean that those who remain could never be utilised effectively.

  24. Killer robots (or avatars) are cheaper and can be mass produced. If it’s just death & destruction in the requirement specification, humans can stay behind the front line.

    What is needed are directed energy weapons. That will be a game changer. If sufficiently compact, they can be fitted to fast drones that do flyby shooting of an entire arena before anyone can blink.

    On the strategic (fighting developed adversaries) side, the US should use their delta-V superiority to their advantage. By launching kinetic weapons, mining equipment, tugs, solar farms etc., a huge amount of force projection can be built up at comparatively low cost. The best thing about it is the infra structure can be productive and put to good use in times of peace.

  25. A titanium skeleton is a titanium antenna. If not isolated from all other systems, the entire thing, and the folk within are vulnerable to directed energy attack.An EMP mine, designed to fry even the stealthiest warrior, or pulsed denial-of-entry fencing, could also reveal unit positions by causing bright and unique reflections.Every skeletal member being coated in an insulating material, and a dragging grounding strap might help.

  26. You are aware that the Ewoks battle scene in Return of the Jedi was fiction right?

    In real life rocks and sticks do not allow people to battle against automatic weapons.

  27. Mobile Infantry here we come. Another of the technology concepts from Heinlein’s books comes to life.

  28. As I’ve said before, the aim of US military tech development should be to make all forms of warfare as expensive as open ocean naval warfare.

    To even start a battle in the center of the Pacific you need a carrier battle group or at the very least some nuclear subs. Minimum a few $billion just to lose, let alone win.

    Which is fantastic from our point of view. Because that means that any possible conflict will be between superpowers, who are part of MAD and hence won’t start in the first place.

    Air wars are partway there. Large and medium wealthy nation states like Iraq could throw a few jet fighters into the sky, but without the structured force, backup and training bases to pose a threat for more than a couple of days.

    But ground combat? A fourth world teenager with a $100 AK47 and he’s a serious threat that, if not equal to a 1st world soldier, is still someone who can kill our guys, and maybe overwhelm them with numbers in certain times and places.

    The ideal situation would be if the minimum effective infantry package was $250 000 worth of equipment that needed regular logistic support. How many men could the first world field? A million, easy. How many men could a narcotics and sexslave financed radical tribe in darkest messedupistan field? 1? 5? *

    And once again the world would be in that happy situation expressed in poetry back in the 19th century.

    Whatever happens, we have got
    The maxim gun, and they have not
    *By the way, you offer $5 million to any bad guy who deserts and hands over a functioning battle suit. For $100 million you could completely disarm a third world nation, for the cost of just airlifting a division to deal with them through combat. And the distrust would mean that those who remain could never be utilised effectively.

  29. A titanium skeleton is a titanium antenna.
    If not isolated from all other systems, the entire thing, and the folk within are vulnerable to directed energy attack.

    An EMP mine, designed to fry even the stealthiest warrior, or pulsed denial-of-entry fencing, could also reveal unit positions by causing bright and unique reflections.

    Every skeletal member being coated in an insulating material, and a dragging grounding strap might help.

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