MIT–Army Nanotechnology Center

Imagine a soldier withstanding bullets, jumping over 20-foot high walls, or walking down a mountain with a broken leg. Sound more like science fiction than reality? Actually, the US Army hopes scientists will work toward these types of innovations at a planned $50 million Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies at MIT.

The ISN will gather scientists from the army, MIT, and industry to conduct unclassified basic and applied research. So far, Raytheon Co, DuPont, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have signed on as ISN partners and will together give an additional $40 million.

Research at the ISN will focus on using nanotechnology to develop uniforms and equipment that can self-adjust to the environment, examine and heal soldiers, store and transfer energy, and protect against chemical and biological agents. For example, MIT is developing polymeric actuators that outperform natural muscle in terms of energy storage and force.

“We hope to deliver some breakthroughs early,” says ISN Director Edwin Thomas, a professor in MIT’s materials science and engineering department. “Some [innovations] are indeed futuristic and many years from reality.”