Top 10 Military Gadgets

Technology has greatly advanced in the last years, and as we all know, many major advances has come from the military. For example, GPS satellites, they were developed by the US military and now they can be used by everyone. This is just one example, but there have been hundreds of inventions that now take part in everyday life that have their roots in the military. And that is why we look at today’s gadgets used by the military to see tomorrow’s gadgets that will be in our houses, making our lives easier.

Top 10 Military Gadgets

10. C4OPS Hybrid Headset

A headset designed like a Swiss knife. It can operate in 3 different configurations:

• Low Profile – The headset is connected to the helmet strap and provides excellent stability and noise canceling, but non intrusive and designed to provide excellent sound quality both ways even on the battlefield.
• Headband – Offers great sound quality and comfort for high noise operations and it allows continuous operation via the earpiece which has an inbuilt microphone even after the normal microphone has been detached.
• Maritime – Designed for special covert operations, this headset is inaudible at distances over 20 inches and can operate fully immersed to up to 20 meters. It can be attached to a variety of helmets via its helmet clip, without the need for any other equipment.

9. BodyGuard Electro Gauntlet

This looks like something out of a movie, something that Batman or Iron Man would have on their hands. The BodyGuard electric gauntlet is a great offense and defense weapon, due to its hard outer shell and the possibility of discharging up to 500.000 V. It also features a laser pointer and a video camera so you can review your video of shocking your opponent.

8. Prism 200c Backpack

Nowadays it’s really easy to scan a building without ever setting a foot inside. The Prism 200c Backpack does it for you with lightning speed. All you have to do is to place the backpack along side the wall of the room, and via Bluetooth it connects to your smartphone and it gives you a fully 3D image of the other side of the wall. It’s made to look like a regular backpack, so it could be used in covert operations.

7. Cornershot

This can be the biggest life saver of all in urban combat, where soldiers have to navigate buildings, walls and other obstacles, and if they could shoot their opponents without leaving the cover of a wall, then the risk involved will be greatly reduced. Of course, a bend barrel wouldn’t be such a good idea, so they had to improvise. And the Cornershot is what it led to. A nozzle mounted video camera relays a video feed to a screen on which soldiers can analyze the battleground and take on enemies with no risk of bringing harm to themselves.

6. BigDog

Soldiers now have to carry a great deal of equipment with them. This puts immense strain on their bodies and can slow them down considerably. So the need for a machine to carry all that equipment is understandable. But some terrain can be difficult to navigate by machines, wheels ca get stuck or not be able to climb stairs, so the best solution is to create a robot that can walk on legs. The ideal solution is to look at nature for inspiration, and a four legged robot offered the best stability without having the need for complex motors and equipment.
BigDog can carry up to 20 pounds of equipment. Although for now it has to be controlled by a remote, in the future it will be completely autonomous. The power behind the BigDog is a one-cylinder gasoline engine connected to a computer, a fiber-optic laser gyroscope and even an IMU (inertial measurement unit) for keeping the robot standing on difficult terrains and inclined to up to 45 degrees.

5. Dragonfly Surveillance Robot

A little friend for any soldier. This little guy can fly off and give information about what to expect ahead, so that soldiers don’t run blind into buildings. Imagine a swarm of these bugs flying around and giving information. They are hardly noticeable by anyone, due to their small size. Applications of this technology could help search for survivors in accidents and in collapsed buildings.

4. X-Flex

Like a bullet proof vest protects the wearer from bullets, the X-Flex fabric protects from bombs and shrapnel. This wallpaper can be put any house and transform it into a bunker that can withstand a bomb blast. A great thing for personal protection in any case.

3. MK2 Robotic Arm

The best that robotic arms have to offer, the MK2 offers top of the line dexterity. This arm could have a great impact in unmanned vehicles that can defuse bombs. The robotic arm features a modular construction and unparalleled freedom and dexterity and it can hold upwards of 25 Kg.

2. Liquid Armor

A invention that could be implemented both on the battlefield but also for the Police, giving them the best armour possible. The liquid is more resistive than other armour materials, such as Kevlar and metal plates, and at a fraction of the weight. It’s based on a fluid that hardens when pressure is applied onto it (also known as Non-Newtonian Fluid). The advantage of this technology over the materials like Kevlar is that, unlike Kevlar, which is a great bullet stopper, it’s vulnerable to stabs and slower moving objects. The Liquid armour does not need the same pressure that Kevlar needs to stop an objective. The molecules lock together and give it extraordinary strength. Bullet and stab proof vests made from Kevlar and liquid armour offer ther best protection possible, the combination of these two materials is truly amazing.

1. Sarcos Exoskeleton

Not a robot, but a tool to make average humans into superheros. The Exoskeleton gives the wearer great strength and speed. With this technology, we could have supersoldiers and imagine what this exoskeleton can do for impaired people.
I never liked the military, but I must admit, their technology has good potential to help humans, but only if used wisely and towards help and not mayhem. Many of these will most certainly make their ways into our lives, or at the very least help protect human lives, either by eliminating the need for violence, or by removing humans from the line of fire.