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History
The Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) at MIT is an interdepartmental
research center founded in 2002 by a $50 million, five-year contract with the U.S. Army Research Office.
Now in its second five-year contract, the mission of the
ISN is straightforward: develop and exploit nanotechnology
to dramatically improve the survivability of Soldiers. The
ultimate goal is to help the Army create a 21st century battlesuit
that combines high-tech capabilities with light weight and
comfort. Imagine a bullet-resistant jumpsuit, no thicker
than ordinary spandex, that monitors health, eases injuries,
communicates automatically, and reacts instantly to chemical
and biological agents. It’s a long-range vision
for how fundamental nanoscience can make Soldiers less vulnerable
to enemy and environmental threats.
The Challenge
Today’s dismounted infantry Soldier carries a back-breaking load, often in
excess of 140 pounds, and still has incomplete ballistic protection, insufficient
defense against chemical and biological weapons, and too many pieces of equipment
that do not work well together. The ISN’s challenge is to help transform today’s
cotton/nylon fatigues and bulky equipment 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. Second,
because nanotechnology operates at
length scales where classical Newtonian 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.
MIT's School of Engineering has produced a video
about nanotechnology at MIT that features several examples
of the ISN's research (scroll to the last video on the page).
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.
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