GadgetMadness: We find the coolest gadgets first

Scotty, see we're going to need some transparent aluminum to transport these whales, and no one's invented it yet.. What can ya do for me? In a twist that is cooler than fiction, the Air Force Research Laboratory is testing aluminum oxynitride (ALONtm) as a replacement for the traditional armor used in ground and air armored vehicles.

"The substance itself is light years ahead of glass...(with) higher performance and lighter weight" said 1st Lt. Joseph La Monica, transparent armor sub-direction lead.

In this case, "reality" and "science fiction" meet with only a twenty year gap. (Get on the ball people, I want to download my consciousness into the PS9 neural network before I die.)

Air Force testing new transparent armor :: af.mil