Future Machines of the US Military:
The Completion of the Physical Cyborg

Roby Behrens

Within the divisions of the military the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, intends to create and modify thousands of jobs as well as skills for the wave of the future. Thousands of different machine prototypes have been conceptualized for the sole purpose of quicker interaction between man and machine. To categorize the new concepts for military innovation, one must refer back to the original categories of machines: computers, accessories, and vehicles/ artillery. In order to improve these inventions, there must be a faster and more reliable interface between man and machine. By doing this, the military is tightening the bond that forms between man and his tools. There are many places in the world where this bond is already evident. When people drive cars, they must adjust their mindset and physical position to create an interface with the vehicle. Because people become used to driving cars their mindset changes along with their pace of life. Their lifestyle adjusts and hence they become a cyborg. This is a very basic level where man and machine may relate. In the world of cyborgs however, the military and science fiction writers are constantly in the process of conceptualizing an entirely new collection of ways that man may interact with machine. As we all know, soldiers rely on weapons to gun down their opponents and survive. They adjust and interact with a gun to aim, unconsciously reload, and rely on the bullets to keep them alive. By using a gun, a soldier becomes a mundane cyborg. A gun however, only occupies the arm using it, the eye aiming, and the other arm reloading. While the user may become a cyborg, this is only a basic human-machine interaction.

To create a full body and mind interface, the cyborgian entity must either occupy the entire physical position and mindset of the soldier or be physically or mentally connected to the combatant. It is arguable that operating a car or a plane may even be more cyborgian than a gun because cars require more cooperation between the two entities. This is where DARPA plans to expand the notion of cyborgs- through vehicles and artillery.

When thinking about cyborgs, most people who know anything about science fiction will say that a cyborg is half man, and half robot. This could go from having a robot arm to controlling an entire robotic entity through a human brain. The military has taken the concept of using a direct interface between the human mind and a machine and directed towards their latest ongoing project, the Pilots Associate. The Pilots associate is a method of directly connecting the human mind to the computer of a jet plane. This would allow for a faster reaction time during battle because the moment a thought hits the pilot's subconscious mind, the plane would react. This is the immediate future of the military- technological innovation incorporated into the human or body. Below is a photo of the cockpit of a helicopter that incorporates the experimental Pilot's Associate in the year 2000.

Large machines that provide multiple outlets for interaction and an exoskeleton are cyborgian. An extremely good example of a man-controlled cyborg entity is the idea of a mech. The term "mecha" is derived from the Japanese abbreviation Meka for the English word "mechanical.”

It has been suspected that the original idea for mecha came from the idea of a mechanical suit or exoskeleton armor.

Before the concept of a mech is actually incorporated into the military DARPA intends to design exoskeletons for foot soldiers. Above is a military display of the futuristic soldier. The exoskeletal suit provides many features. Leg enhancements improve running speed and jumping height, and arm enhancements add to physical strength. They also intend to add radar and sight enhancement into the helmet. This project provided a basis for creative interpretation, and in Japan there have been countless shows and series' incorporating the idea of an exoskeleton. They have also developed that into their own interpretation of a mech or mobile suit. Because of the Japanese depiction, the term Mech has been popularized and become a fantasy incorporating into the culture of the future. All over the world, the term for a large, man-controlled robot, has become “Mecha.” Even American hip hop artists such as Dell the Funkee Homosapien depict futurist robots in their lyrics. “fuck dying I hijack a mech, controlling with my magical chance so battle advance, through centuries a hip hop legacy, megaspeed, hyperwarp to automator's crib and light the torchÉ” (Deltron 3030)

Image Sources:

http://wastetimepost.com/Future-Vacations-to-Include-Mech-Maids-Robot-Pros.html