Today's soldiers carry around a lot of battery-operated techno-gear, and the Pentagon is trying to figure out a way to lighten their load. Military brass are offering a million-dollar prize to anyone who develops a wearable electric power system that weighs half that of the batteries currently carried by soldiers in the field. The winning system will be able to produce 20-watts of power for 96 hours, but it must weigh 8.8 pounds or less.

Given the recent flurry of innovation in energy efficiency, there are probably a few researchers and inventors who are already close to this goal. In fact, maybe we could win at least part of that million-dollar prize just by sending the Pentagon a few links. For instance, we just showed you a tiny generator yesterday that draws its power from vibrations. Perhaps combining this technology with a fuel cell and solar power could take home the million bucks. The best news is that when this prize-winning tech trickles down to the civilian population, we're all winners. — Charlie White

Via Danger Room