Soldiers may soon become their own batteries
Wearing a 70lb backpack full of electronic equipment is bad enough, but wearing one all day in the heat of the Arabian desert -- that just downright sucks. Today's soldier might get the benefit of night vision goggles, GPS, and other gadgets, but they do pay a price for it -- lugging around 30lbs of batteries. That's why the Depart of Defense is offering $1M prize for the team that comes up with a 8lb, wearable power source that can last 4 days.The technology does exist -- a team at Georgia Tech is developing a contraption called the "power shirt." The power shirt uses a series of zinc-oxide nanowires to tap into the kinetic energy created by a person's movement. In theory, this technology could be fitted into a soldier's body armor, harvesting enough energy to power small electrical devices. While there are plenty of hurdles to clear, kinetic armor could certainly take a load off the backs of US soldiers.
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