Antenna

Focuses invisible
electromagnetic
energy
waves.
Electromagnetic
wave
Penetrates 1/64
of an inch into
the skin and
produces an
intense burning
sensation.
360
operation
Transmitter
Generates 95 GHz
millimeter-wave
electromagnetic
energy.
U
p
t
o
1
,6
4
0
f
e
e
t
Bell Rocket
Belt
In the
early
1960s,
Bell
Aerospace
built a rocket
pack for the
Army using
hydrogen
peroxide as
fuel. Extremely
limited flight time
and range led to the
militarys cancellation
of the development
contract.
Successors built by
other companies
havent advanced the
technology much.
Those devices are
primarily used as
attractions at
concerts and
sporting events.
Real-world Iron Man
Box office registers are ringing this weekend thanks to Iron Man, a movie about a weapons manufacturer whose suit of armor gives
him superhuman strength, the power of flight and the ability to shoot repulsor rays from his hands. In the 45 years since Marvel
Comics introduced the character, how close has the U.S. military come to providing his abilities to real-world troops?
DEAN HOLLINGSWORTH/Staff Artist; DAN KOLLER/Staff Writer
(N
o
t to
s
c
a
le
)
Active Denial System
The federal Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate has spent more than $60 million over
10 years developing the Active Denial System. Backers say the energy beam hasnt been
deployed to a war zone because of the militarys institutional bias against nonlethal weapons.
Humvee
with ADS
mounted.
98.6
Normal skin
temperature
People pull
away reflexively
Two-second burst
from the ADS
How hot it gets
Range
The device
can penetrate
thick clothing
but not walls.
WATCH VIDEO
of the XOS Exoskeleton
and the Active Denial
System in action.
dallasnews.com/extra
The future?
Sarcos
researchers
envision agile,
bulletproof
armor that can
heal minor
wounds
automatically.
XOS Exoskeleton
Sarcos, a Utah-based subsidiary of Raytheon, is developing
an exoskeleton with $10 million from the federal Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency.
SOURCES: CBS News; Popular Science; The Associated Press; GlobalSecurity.org; Raytheon Sarcos; U.S. Army; Dallas Morning News research
Competitor
University
of California
researchers
are develop-
ing the
Berkeley
Lower
Extremity
Exoskeleton,
which uses
mechanical legs
to support heavy
loads.
SUPER STRENGTH
Mechanics
Sensors help
an onboard
computer
anticipate the
wearers
movements.
Hydraulic
valves power
the suits
muscles.
Limitation
At this
point, the
exoskeleton
must be
tethered to
a power
source.
File slug:
Folder:
Artist:
Width:
Depth:
News Art
Originating desk
Copy editor
Slot editor
Layout desk
0504nat_Real_IronMan
DMN-26 HOLLINGSWORTH
DEAN
6 COL
57p2 Picas F
I
L
E

I
N
F
O
Graphics Desk: 8912
Benefit
The wearer can repeatedly lift 200
pounds without breaking a sweat.
122 130
FANTASY
REALITY
FLIGHT REPULSOR RAYS
Industrial Light & Magic Industrial Light & Magic Zade Rosenthal