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Natick Labs Gear Up for the Future
Wednesday, July 24, 2002
By Linda D. Kozaryn
American Forces Press Service

Army Sgt. Joseph Patterson talks with a visitor at the Army Soldier Systems Center's Soldier Systems Day equipment display at the House Rayburn Office Building in Washington, D.C., July 18, 2002. Patterson said he volunteered to work at the center in Natick, Mass., so he could help make soldiers' gear better and lighter.
Image Credit: Linda D. Kozaryn -- AFIS.

"This is a mock up of a suit that monitors your physiological status, that will be climate-controlled and that will have conductive textiles to move data and power around," Patterson told members of Congress, staffers and visitors. "The suit will adjust based on your core body temperature. In the desert or the arctic, the suit would (change colors and) blend in like a chameleon."

WASHINGTON -- AFIS
Decked in what resembled a black wetsuit and a vest with lots of pockets and pouches, Army Sgt. Joseph Patterson was doing his part to ensure America's men and women in uniform remain the best-equipped fighting force in the world.

His colleague, Daniel Harshman, a former soldier turned Army civilian, was doing the same, decked in a gray, hard- shelled combat suit.

At a recent "Soldier Systems Day" equipment display on Capitol Hill here, Patterson, of Chattanooga, Tenn., modeled what he called "the long-range science and technology vision of a warrior." Harshman, of Whitehall, N.Y., modeled a futuristic risk-protection suit.

They talked with members of Congress, staff and visitors about personal gear and equipment being developed for the military. For some Capitol Hill personnel, the display of thermal sights, night-vision monoculars, body armor and other equipment was a glimpse of tomorrow.

Elias Hassinger, an intern with Pennsylvania Rep. George Gekas, for example, had a chance to hold a Land Warrior digitized weapon. "This technology is mind-blowing," said the student from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. "I had no clue this technology and these capabilities existed. The gun I was holding is basically a computer. It was amazing."

Patterson and Harshman work at the Army Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Mass. Known as Natick Labs, the center researches, develops and sustains food, clothing, shelter, airdrop systems and soldier support items. The lab aims to develop state-of-the-art equipment for U.S. warfighters and also helps first responders leverage that knowledge. The overall goal is to improve the warrior's mobility, lethality, sustainability and survivability.
(More: DoD News Source)
2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

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