X

Scientists envision soldiers fighting in tongues

Michelle Meyers
Michelle Meyers wrote and edited CNET News stories from 2005 to 2020 and is now a contributor to CNET.
Michelle Meyers

You think you're so cool tying a cherry stem with your tongue. Well military researchers have much higher ambitions for the body part they hope will one day give Army Rangers 360-degree night vision and let Navy SEALs sense sonar through their heads while maintaining perfect vision underwater.

The Associated Press tells of scientists at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition who are looking at a device called the "Brain Port," which routes signals from helmet-mounted cameras, sonar and other equipment through the tongue to the brain.

It's an interesting story of sci-fi becoming reality. Kudos, too, to the writers of tongue-in-cheek headlines, like "How to lick your enemy," "Taste of wars to come" and "Super warrior skills on tip of the tongue."