Apple, Boeing, and others Team Up with Pentagon to Develop Military Wearables

The Pentagon today announced that it will team up with Apple, Boeing, and another 160 companies, universities, and groups, forming the FlexTech Alliance to develop high-tech wearables for military purposes, reports Reuters.

“I’ve been pushing the Pentagon to think outside our five-sided box and invest in innovation here in Silicon Valley and in tech communities across the country,” Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in prepared remarks on Friday. “Now we’re taking another step forward.”

The new technology will use high-end printing technologies that result in stretchable electronics, which ultimately can be packed with sensors and worn by soldiers, and ultimately used on ships and warplanes for real-time monitoring “of their structural integrity”, the news agency has learned.

To achieve their goal, the Pentagon and the FlexTech Alliance will receive $75 million from the US government over the next five years, and companies managed by the US Air Force Research Laboratory will add another $90 million, while local governments will also contribute, pushing the total funding to $171 million.