Something really caught my eye on TechTV today. They were talking about a new infantry suit thats currently under development for the US military. Now I barely got the jist of it here, so this may be wrong...

They are using a material made from small tubes.(?) It looked like cloth to me, but that may not have been the actual suit. When electricity is applied, the suit hardens like armor. The suit will also have to capability to either change color or become reflective, letting it blend into the surrounding environment. This would provide the perfect camo, as it adapts to any environment.

Another development is the exo-skeleton. The exo-skeleton gives strength to the user. For example, a unit wearing one type of eXo (leg enhancement and back support) would feel only 5% of the total load of his backpack. Thats a 95% weight relief. Other designs would allow a unit to lift extremely heavy objects.

Keep in mind, the soldiers movement only controls the exo-skeleton, which does the work. Its like wearing a forktruck.

Both works will begin testing phases in a couple of years. The military is really pushing the developers to get these done. In my opinion, this is really exciting news.

Robert Heinlein described this kind of battlesuit/armor in [i]Starship Troopers[/i].  I also read the same concept in another SF book years and years ago.  Popular Mechanics had articles on it years ago.  Is there any idea that's really new?

Just yesterday, while surfing news sites, I ran across an article where DoD has given Mass Inst. of Tech. $50MM or some such load of dough, to develop this idea.  However, the body of the article described this as a nanotechnology project, and all that stuff is decades away.

My son is just going to the 101st Air Assault Div.  Anything they can get on his back to make him more effective/bulletproof is good stuff in my book... but hey, I'm a little biased.

Can anyone find a report or site that tells more about these new innovations? Id like to learn more, as I'll soon enlist in the US Army myself.