A Look At How The U.S., U.K., And South Korea Camouflage Soldiers' Faces

Popular Mechanics: How Militaries Around the World Camouflage Soldiers' Faces

America, South Korea and England all have different styles of face painting.

Face=painting is usually pretty low stakes, but the militaries of the world approach it as an important challenge. How best to make a face look like anything but? As Dr. Christopher Larsen of the One Shepherd Leadership Institute demonstrates, thousands of years of evolution has trained humanity to recognize the structure of our faces, so the best bet is to try to exaggerate those features to the point where they're no longer recognizable.

This video shows three different styles of hiding the human face with paint: American, British, and South Korean.

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WNU Editor: Camouflage paint is also saving soldier's lives .... How Camouflage Make-Up Is Saving Soldiers Lives (August 24, 2012).

The U.S. Army Wants An 'Invisibility Suit' For Its Soldiers

Guy Cramer, CEO of Canadian camouflage makers Hyperstealth Biotechnology, says he demonstrated metamaterial camouflage to US military scientists last year

Daily Mail: US Army is developing 'invisibility suit' for soldiers to make them DISAPPEAR on the battlefield - and says it will begin trials in just 18 months

* Hoped suit will work in every terrain, and in every temperature
* chameleon-like system would continuously update the colour and pattern

The US Army is developing an invisibility suits for its soldiers.

It has requested firms developing 'stealth fabrics' to get in touch - and is hoping to test the first prototypes within 18 months.

It is hoped the suit will work in every terrain, from deserts to jungles - and in every temperature.

The US army's call for proposals from companies calls for wearable camouflage with a chameleon-like ability to change according to the background.

'A chameleon-like or adaptive camouflage system would continuously update the colour and pattern, concealing the Soldier in the current environment.'

WNU Editor: The use of camouflage has evolved over the years, but these new innovations (if they are developed as promised) will definitely have a profound impact on the battlefield.

Octopus Camouflage For The Military?

Octopuses' Color-Changing Skin Inspires New Type Of Camouflage -- CSM/Live Science

Researchers developed flexible sheets of light sensors, containing a temperature-sensitive dye, that can automatically sense and adapt to the color of their surroundings.

Octopuses and squid possess the amazing ability to blend in with their surroundings, but now, researchers have created a man-made system that mimics this form of camouflage.

The team developed flexible sheets of light sensors, containing a temperature-sensitive dye, that can automatically sense and adapt to the color of their surroundings. The technology could have consumer, industrial and military applications, according to the study, published today (Aug. 18) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"These devices are capable of producing black-and-white patterns that spontaneously match those of the surroundings, without user input or external measurement," the researchers wrote in the paper.

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My Comment: They still have a long way to go .... but the implications for the military if they can perfect this are enormous.

U.S. Army Unveils New Camouflage Pattern

The Army announced the service's newest camouflage pattern for combat: a palette of muted greens, light beige and dark brown. This swatch is based on an experimental design, because the actual design hasn't been released yet.(Photo: Army Times)

Combat By Design: Army Unveils New Camouflage Pattern -- USA Today

The Army plans to transition to this new camo over time, phasing out the unpopular gray-green Universal Combat Pattern. The Army, in a statement, said a phase-out of the older uniform was "fiscally responsible."

The name "Operational Camouflage Pattern" is intended to emphasize that the pattern's use extends beyond Afghanistan to all combatant commands. It will also be worn in garrison. However, leaders have said it would be just one part of a "family" of camo patterns that will also include a dark jungle-woodland variant and a lighter pattern for desert environs.

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My Comment: Here are some cool camouflage patterns.

Anti-Surveillance Camouflage Is Becoming The Newest Trend

Examples of CV dazzle makeup from Adam Harvey’s “Look Book.” (More here.)

Anti-Surveillance Camouflage for Your Face -- Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic

In a world of increasingly sophisticated facial-recognition technology, a drastic technique can throw the machines off your trail.

The NSA made me slather my face in make-up.

Or, it didn’t make me, exactly. But last spring, I found myself wandering around D.C., wearing dazzle camouflage for the first time. It was a sunny Saturday, the capital swamp neither frigid nor muggy-oppressive—perfect for walking. It took me 45 minutes to get all the makeup on, to get the pencil right and the hair dangled just so.

I spent the day hanging out with some friends around Adams Morgan, a neighborhood seemingly developed by former hippies who had gone into non-profit C-suites or opened boutique restaurant-bars. I told my friends why my face had splotches of dark makeup on it but didn’t say much to anyone else, and that’s when the looks began.

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My Comment: I do not know if it will catch on as a trend .... but it is definitely an attention grabber.

A New Camouflage Pattern The U.S. Army

Take A Sneak Peek At The New Camouflage Pattern The Army Is Switching To This Year -- IJReview

The U.S. Army has quietly announced that it will be switching to a new camouflage pattern. The current design, the Universal Camouflage Pattern, has been used for the past ten years. Its replacement, called the Scorpion pattern, features a darker design.

Here they are side-by-side:

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My Comment: I am still waiting for the Predator invisibility suit.

Do The Camouflage Patterns Of The U.S. Military Put Our Soldiers At Risk

The Irresponsibly Stupid And Dangerous Camouflage Patterns Of The U.S. Military -- D.B. Grady, The Week

You'd think the military would want uniform patterns that keep its members safe. And yet somehow, "distinctiveness" has trumped safety

When the Marine Corps selected a digital pattern for its combat uniform in 2002, the U.S. military as a whole seemed to fracture, with each branch wandering aimlessly in a bizarre search for sartorial identity. It's been a long, strange trip since. So let's take a brief look at the camouflage patterns of the U.S. military, and the sorry stories of their adoptions.

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My Comment: It could be worse .... our soldiers could be dressed like this.

The Anti-Drone Hoodie

Clothes for the 'fashionably paranoid': The Stealth Wear line of anti-surveillance which clothing has gone on display at a West London boutique this week and includes an anti-drone hoodie

The Anti-Drone Hoodie Which Can Make Its Wearer Invisible To Spies In The Sky -- Daily Mail

* U.S. artist showcasing 'Stealth Wear' clothing range at London boutique
* Conceived in response to use of military-style surveillance on civilians
* He jokes his target market will be the 'fashionably paranoid'

Those concerned about the conspiratorial machinations of the state surveillance infrastructure can now swap their tin-foil hats for a more fashion conscious accessory.

A New York-based artist has designed an 'anti-drone hoodie' stitched from metallised material used to counter the infra-red cameras that spy drones use to spot people on the ground.

It is part of a line of high-tech 'Stealth Wear' that can thwart cameras and block tracking signals, which has been unveiled in London this week.

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My Comment: I commented on this story last week .... it appears to be catching on.

Why Is There A War Over A Camouflage Pattern?

Why Is The Marine Corps Fighting With The Navy Over A Camouflage Pattern? -- The Atlantic

Military combat uniforms have two purposes: to camouflage soldiers, and to hold together in rugged conditions. It stands to reason that there's only one "best" pattern, and one best stitching and manufacture. It should follow that when such a uniform is developed, the entire military should transition to it.

In 2002, the Marine Corps adopted a digital camouflage pattern called MARPAT. Rigorous field-testing proved that it was more effective than the splotched woodland pattern in use at the time, and the Combat Utility Uniform (of which it was a part) was a striking change for such a conservative institution.

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My Comment: The war between the services definitely exists .... at least over camouflage pattern designs.

Invisible Soldiers Now A Reality

 

My Comment: If developed properly, this will be a game changer on the battlefield.

How Camouflage Make-Up Is Saving Soldiers Lives

All-In-One Magic Makeup Camouflages Soldiers, Repels Mosquitoes AND Protects Against Bomb Blasts -- Daily Mail

* Makeup can protect soldiers against intense explosions up to 600 degrees Celsius
* Scientists used silicone so it can't melt in high heat
* Face paint also contains a mosquito repellant, is waterproof and non-irritating

Scientists have developed camouflage makeup that not only helps soldiers hide from the enemy, but also shields them from the searing heat of bomb blasts – and it’s thinner than a sheet of paper.

The heat-resistant face paint, developed for the US military, has been described as one of the most fundamental changes in thousands of years to camouflage, and could also benefit fire fighters.

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My Comment: Parts of the skin will still be exposed (i.e. eyes, hair, etc.) .... but this is a smart approach to better protect our soldiers. There is more info on this development here.

How HyperStealth’s Algorithms Build Better Camo

A mock-up of HyperStealth’s Quantum Stealth technology. Photo: HyperStealth

Discreet by Design: How HyperStealth’s Algorithms Build Better Camo -- Danger Room

Guy Cramer was annoyed by the cost of Canada’s newest military uniform redesign. He’d been interested in camo since the ‘80s, when he wore it as a professional paintballer. He decided he could do better, so Cramer invested in a $100 design program, spent an hour retooling the pattern and posted the critique online.

This was back in 2003, when Cramer was selling plumbing supplies and working on science projects in his free time. A year later, Cramer gets a call from Jordan’s military office. The king, they said, wanted him to redesign the country’s uniforms. Within three months, Cramer whiped them up a new pattern.

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My Comment: I look forward to the day when they can be invisible.

Try To Spot The Two Israeli Soldiers That Have Blended Into The Landscape

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Can You Find... Too Late, You're Dead: See If You Can Spot The Two Incredible Elite Israeli Army Assassins Blending Into The Landscape Before They Open Fire -- Daily Mail

Too late, you're dead.

If you haven't already spotted the two heavily-armed men hidden in this picture, it could be curtains for you.

These elite Israeli army assassins, pictured on rocky ground in the north of the country, are trained to blend into the landscape so well you're unlikely to even know they're there. That is until you have a bullet in you.

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My Comment: Good camouflage.

The Future Of Camouflage

New Camo Courtesy Special Operations Apps

Invisible Warriors: The Future of Camo -- Popular Science

Clothing that adapts to hide you whatever your surroundings are.

Camouflage works by confusing the brain. Disruptive patterns obscure a form’s outline, making objects less likely to stand out. But camo has a weakness: No pattern works for every environment. Special Operations Apps, a software design firm in Wilmington, N.C., has developed a process to make site-specific camouflage.

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My Comment: I guess someone has been watching to many Predator movies.

Can One Make Armoured Vehicles Look Like Cows?

New technology: An invisibility cloak could help disguise military tanks in the middle

I'm Sure I Saw A Tank Moo-ve: 'Invisibility Cloak' Could Make Armoured vehicles Look Like Cows -- Daily Mail

Military scientists have designed a new invisibility cloak which could protect tanks from heat seeking missiles.

The new technology has scanners to read nearby buildings and terrain and can reproduce their pattern of hot and cold on panels on the hull of the vehicle.

An infrared image is then produced, allowing the machine to blend into it's environment and ultimately tricking the enemy into thinking it might be a car or even a cow.

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My Comment: Impressive .... it if works.