Innovations & technologies

How Technology Could Create 'Super Soldiers' 

Popular culture has long been fascinated by the idea of enhancing human beings. From the 1970s TV show “The Six Million Dollar Man” to this year’s latest “Captain America” film, sci-fi writers have imagined what it would be like to give individuals extraordinary powers.

In the real world, scientists and engineers are working on a number of cutting-edge technologies to make U.S. troops faster, smarter and more resilient than their normal selves.

Paul Scharre, a former Army Ranger and the director of the 20YY Future of Warfare Initiative at the Center for a New American Security, said performance-enhancers that are being explored could offer tremendous operational advantages for warfighters.

“What if we had an ‘on’ switch right before pilots were about to go into a dogfight and we could turn that switch on? Or right before infantry soldiers were about to go into combat we could turn that switch on? That would have profound … implications for warfare,” he said.