Ion-mask military waterproofing technology coming to civilian garb

August 30th, 2008 by

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Gore-Tex is fine and dandy, but the real argonauts out there know it still buckles under the most extreme conditions. Now, however, adventurists that happen upon a ridiculous amount of water could soon ford rivers (à la Oregon Trail, of course) without worrying about soggy socks. The technology, dubbed ion-mask, was originally crafted to “ensure soldiers’ clothing remained impermeable to chemical weapons,” but now shoe maker Hi-Tec has inked a deal that will being the solution to a smattering of its kicks. Reportedly, ion-mask can outperform “commercial waterproof fabrics such as Gore-Tex by more than a factor of 100,” and in testing, it maintained its breathability / waterproof abilities even after 100,000 flexes. No word on when full suits will be doused in this stuff, but hopefully you’ll be able to wear the same outfit to the office and the jungle here shortly.

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Posted in science, waterproof, clothing, garb, clothes, ion-mask, p2i, chemical, socks, dry, fluorine, Hi-Tec | No Comments »

Bomb disposal robots get new life sniffing out chemicals

July 15th, 2008 by

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It’s not the first time a robot has been given fresh life with a new career, but it’s always nice to see bots saved from the scrap heap, which is just what the Army’s 95th Chemical Company has done with some PackBot-based bots that were once busy disposing of bombs in Iraq. Apparently, the bot was starting to show its shortcomings, so the Company decided to outfit it with some chemical-sniffing gear that lets it detect ammonia, chlorine, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and all other sorts of bad things. Now, after some extensive testing, it seems that the robot (dubbed CUGV, for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Unmanned Ground Vehicle) is nearly ready to see some action, with it set to begin field testing in both Iraq and Afghanistan this fall.

[Via Danger Room]

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Posted in army, packbot, chemical, chemical-sniffing robot, Chemical-sniffingRobot | No Comments »

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