New Tech to Keep Our Soldiers Safe

Ashima Devices has developed a 3D surveillance technology for use with the company's ForceField drones. These small unmanned helicopters can be clipped to a soldier’s standard field-gear kit. When deployed, the drones provide a real-time, 3D view of the battlefield on this handheld computer. Future enhancements include thermal imaging, so troops can see heat signatures from weapons and vehicles.  (Ashmia Devices)

Harris Corp., which developed the slow-mo technology that the NFL uses, has started assisting the Pentagon with a “situational awareness” tracking system. It uses video from military drones and creates a log of battlefield threats -- and can even flag one particular enemy troop for closer analysis. (Harris Corp.)

This all-terrain troop mover -- which looks like a cross between a skateboard and a Segway scooter -- was designed by BPG-WERKS. The DTV Shredder has a steering handlebar and rugged tracks that can help soldiers ascend a 40-degree ravine or rocket across a sandy escarpment at up to 30 mph. Videos the company has released show it towing a truck and driving through water.  (BPG-WERKS)

The state-of-the-art VIRAT system (Video and Image Retrieval and Analysis Tool) scans video and identifies not only that there is a tank out there, but that it is driving down a one-way street or that troops have recently boarded. It then uses complex algorithms to warn troops of an impending attack. The system should be deployed in 2013. (Kitware)

Soldiers often carry heavy  loads on foot, which increases stress on the body, leading to injuries and exhaustion. This HULC suit is designed to transfer that weight to the ground through the robotic legs of a lower-body exoskeleton, taking the weight off of the soldier.  (HULC)