We learned recently that GIs will soon be equipped with portable air conditioners. Obviously, this is not for their comfort, but to fight better. Now, the Pentagon also wants soldiers to fight longer and without eating for up to five days. And it asks its research branch to investigate, as Wired News tells us in Darpa Offers No Food for Thought.
Here are some of Darpa's ideas coming from the "Metabolic Dominance" project. "A cocktail of nutrients or so-called 'nutraceuticals' could help build endurance. Lowering soldiers' core body temperature might keep them from overheating. Or, perhaps, the change could be made at the microscopic level, by turbo-charging mitochondria -- the cell's energy suppliers."
We knew the Army wanted to replace humans by robots. Now, it looks like it also wants to turn human into robots. This overview contains more details. It also includes a photo of the First Strike Ration, "a compact, eat-on-the move ration concept designed to be consumed during the first 72 hours of conflict."
:: posted by Donald Melanson, 12:55 PM |
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