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History
Founded in 2002, the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) is a three-member team designed to leverage the unique capabilities of the US Army, industry, and MIT. The ISN mission is to dramatically improve the survivability of the Soldier by working at and extending the frontiers of nanotechnology through fundamental research and transitioning with our Army and industry partners. This mission includes not only decreasing the weight that soldiers carry but also improving blast and ballistic protection, creating new methods of detecting and detoxifying chemical and biological threats, and providing physiological monitoring and automated medical intervention. The ultimate goal is to help the Army create an integrated system of nanotechnologies for Soldier protection.
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 various analyte threats, and too many pieces of equipment
that do not work well together. The ISN’s challenge is to help transform today’s combination of
cotton/nylon fatigues and bulky equipment into an integrated protective ensemble.
Why Nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology fits into the ISN 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.
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
Soldier Initiative program, which aims to achieve a soldier-centric
force enabled by an integrated individual combat system.
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