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In 2017, the United States Department of Defense will launch the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (Talos), a futuristic piece of military hardware that encloses soldiers within a bullet-bouncing, internally cooled, computerised exoskeleton. Inside the suit, soldiers will be shielded from almost every threat.


The US military keenly invests in pieces of armour, such as the $80 million (£61m) Talos, that could feasibly make their way on to the battlefield. But research is also steering the military towards another goal: technologies that augment. Instead of building shells around ourselves, we're also creating wearables that tune into the human body. In 2017, this research will begin to shape the future soldier. One driving force is the rise of soft robotics.

At Harvard University's Wyss Institute, pioneers are working with the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) to design a malleable fabric exosuit - the soft-robotics answer to the Talos. Instead of shielding the wearer, its purpose is to propel them forward and conserve their energy, explains Conor Walsh, lead researcher from Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.

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"We are intrigued by this challenge because we are so inspired by how our muscles and nervous systems work," Walsh explains. Using a system of battery-powered sensors, motors, gears, cables and pulleys sandwiched between the fabric layers, the suit senses the wearer's motion and responds to assist. It's designed to help soldiers walking long distances with heavy loads avoid fatigue. So far, tests have shown energy savings of seven per cent, and in 2017 Walsh will share the final prototype "with more efficient actuators, sensors and cables," he says.

Closer to development is another Wyss Institute invention, a vibrating insole to help soldiers on rugged terrain. The insoles' internal vibrating pads deliver buzzes that feel "as if you put your foot on a subwoofer," says James Niemi, a lead senior staff engineer at the Wyss Institute. "It makes your feet more sensitive to the ground." With this awareness, the body can better interpret its position and adjust.

The insoles were intended for older or ailing patients, but when tested on younger

wearers, Niemi says they improved agility and speed. The technology has since been licensed to a company (currently undisclosed), and in 2017, they'll decide how to move forward. Because Darpa funded a part of the study, there is a chance that the insoles may be used to support soldiers on unpredictable terrain.

Already on the battlefield are augmentation technologies for hearing. Audio comms company Invisio has made earplugs called TCAPS - tactical communication and protective system - that enhance hearing by sensing explosive noises and turning down the volume before it hits the wearer's eardrum. For softer sounds, the reverse happens: whispers are emphasised, allowing soldiers to communicate over the din of warfare. Invisio has rolled out 20,000 of these devices across the US Army: in the long-term they'll prevent hearing loss, a leading disability in veterans.


Further in the future, augmentation technologies will move in step with the rise of nano-

technology. At the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, the Army, commercial industry and researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have joined forces. Amid wound-healing smart fabrics and enhanced night-vision, researchers are building nanomaterials for helmets. The goal is to protect soldiers from the jarring effects of a blast.

Bigger projects lie on the horizon: in 2016, Darpa unveiled plans for its Neural Engineering System Design. Part of the White House's Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Technologies initiative, the long-term project will produce an implantable neural interface that links a soldier's neurons to a computer's to enhance communications, widening the gateway between man and machine. It provides a long-term view on the future soldier, one who will be increasingly enhanced.

The WIRED World in 2017 is WIRED's fifth annual trends briefing, predicting what's coming next in the worlds of technology, science and design