Submission + - Soldier Power Pack Competition (cnn.com)
xhydra writes: "Inventors across the country are being asked to find a way to lighten the load U.S. soldiers carry on their backs — largely due to the high-tech gear that uses batteries — and the solution will be decided in a $1 million contest.
The military wants to lighten the load troops carry into combat.
The Department of Defense is asking a person or team to come up with a way to lessen the weight of the 20-40 pounds of batteries a solider carries on a typical four-day mission. The batteries power everything from soldiers' GPS systems to their night-vision goggles.
"In many missions the batteries are heavier than the ammunition they are carrying," said Dr. William S. Rees Jr., Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Laboratories and Basic Sciences — whose office, the Director of Defense Research and Engineering, is sponsoring the prize competition. "We'd like to reverse that ratio." More"
The military wants to lighten the load troops carry into combat.
The Department of Defense is asking a person or team to come up with a way to lessen the weight of the 20-40 pounds of batteries a solider carries on a typical four-day mission. The batteries power everything from soldiers' GPS systems to their night-vision goggles.
"In many missions the batteries are heavier than the ammunition they are carrying," said Dr. William S. Rees Jr., Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Laboratories and Basic Sciences — whose office, the Director of Defense Research and Engineering, is sponsoring the prize competition. "We'd like to reverse that ratio." More"
