Stuff of Science Fiction? Not at all with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on the case with the U.S. Army. MIT, one of the top educational institutions in the world was selected by the U.S. Army to put up the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN) with an initial funding of US$50 million. According to MIT News, it is "to create lightweight molecular materials to equip foot soldiers of the future with uniforms and gear that can heal them, shield them and protect them against chemical and biological warfare."

It's really an ambitious project but it's already in the works with the photos posted with this story here already woven with with tiny golden microfibres. One concrete use for this clothing is that it'll act as an IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) that will help disperse the fog of war when a soldier is not sure of the person holding a rifle ahead of him is a friendly or not. This is done when the soldier points a laser at the uniform and gives off something like a  "don't shoot" signal.

The beauty of these microfibres is that they do not have circuitry, transistors, microprocessors which will make them even heavier and they will act like devices. When woven together, they act like sensors and are sensitive to light, heat and sound --- a full body sensor for the soldier. Whilst the microfibres are still big, they will be working on these to make them finer.

Further on to the MIT News story, "The ISN will focus on six key soldier capabilities: threat detection, threat neutralization (such as bullet-proof clothing), concealment, enhanced human performance, real-time automated medical treatment, and reduced logistical footprint (i.e., lightening the considerable weight load of the fully equipped soldier)." In short creating a uniform for soldiers to turn them into super ones, though not as super as the Iron Man suit.

It's an amazing plan which we hope to see our lifetime since such developments in the soldier's  uniform as planned by the ISN team will eventually seep into civilian applications --- day-to-day clothing that will help ordinary civilians stay safe whilst on their way to make a living. The clothing can protect them when injured and even have body sensors that can monitor heartbeat and pulse rate that it can know what to do to keep the injured person alive as long as the emergency services get to the scene (and might even make the 911 call if it can). In civilian jobs that require heavy lifting, they act like exoskeletons too to provide exta strength.

It would be nice wearing fashionable clothes with these microfibres, and assured that these clothes will keep us safe when accidents or bodily harm happens.