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Soliders in Iraq test air-conditioned vests

American soldiers in Iraq may plead for armor for their Humvees, but when they finally get that plating, they face another problem — albeit, one not nearly as dangerous as riding around in an unarmored vehicle: overheating. According to the US military, once armor is added to the Humvees, the internal temperature can reach 130 degrees, and no, rolling down the windows isn't exactly an option. So, in addition to air conditioning the Humvees, the army is experimenting with another idea: liquid-cooled vests that are powered from the vehicle's air conditioning system. About 500 of the experimental vests are being tested by soldiers in Iraq and Kuwait, and they've proved so popular with troops that soldiers are fighting over who gets to wear them. We hope the army gets more of these out to the troops (along, of course, with the requisite armored Humvees), and that this trickles down to civilian use before next summer.

[Via Slashdot]