DARPA Just Paid $2.6 Million For A Skintight Smart Suit That's Straight Out Of The Future

Exoskeletons with hydraulic arms and piston powered legs are nothing terribly new — Raytheon's got a new version it showed off this summer. But this Warrior Web program proposed by DARPA is a first. The Web is actually a suit that'll be worn under a servicemember's uniform intended to provide a host of physiological benefits.

The $2.6 million contract went to the Wyss Institute at Harvard and they hope to create something like a wetsuit that will not only protect injury prone areas, reinforce joints, assist in carrying 100 pound loads and reduce injuries. It will log all that data and refer it back to command.

It will also offer internal prompts to the wearer, likely letting him know, for example, when a joint is bent poorly and to modify the angle. Hopefully the suit will reduce injuries, fatigue and allow troops to better spend their energy on staying alive.