FORT DRUM — New technology is what keeps the Army one step ahead of its enemies, especially in a war in which the enemy has become increasingly more daring and inventive in its attacks.

Members from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, got to see firsthand last month what engineers and developers are working on to help the soldier during combat.

"Before this happened, I thought the people coming up with these ideas were just in it for the money and didn't have our best interests in mind," said Sgt. 1st Class Sebastian Ellis, with the 1st Squadron, 89th Cavalry, 2nd BCT. "That was until I got this firsthand experience with what is motivating them to come up with these new pieces of equipment. We got to let them know what we are experiencing with all this stuff."

Sgt. Ellis talked with the developers about how much each soldier must carry while out in the field and explained that, while one piece of equipment may only be 2 pounds, that gets added to another 2 pounds, and another 2 pounds, and so on. "They didn't have a clue about the weight," he said.

Those who organized the trip that brought the group of soldiers to research sites across the country said the interaction with the soldiers is by far the most important for developers.

"It's a great thing when we bring soldiers in because not all of our engineers have the opportunity to go out in the field," said Sgt. Maj. Thomas W. Coleman, who works at the Program Executive Officer and Natick Soldier Systems Center in Natick, Mass. This center develops the uniforms, carrying systems and all the food rations for the Army. "It gives them a chance to meet face to face with the fighters who are using the equipment."

Sgt. Coleman said that while the soldiers were visiting, they got to see and provide feedback on the new cold-weather clothing systems, called Generation III. Its use in cold weather is something that the 10th Mountain soldiers are perhaps the best in the Army to provide feedback on.

What most impressed Sgt. Ellis and other soldiers who toured the facilities was the unmanned robot technologies that are being developed. Unmanned robots are sometimes a soldier's best friend when he's trying to clear a road of explosives.

The soldiers got a chance to try out the Talon, a robot that weighs 115 to 156 pounds, is equipped with infrared cameras and is able to communicate with a computer that is operated by the soldier. The Talon is used to disarm bombs and is built to sustain intense blasts.

One of the interesting things on the robots the soldiers got to try was new handheld controllers — made similar to video game controllers. The developers say they wanted to have the troops working with something that was familiar to them before they became soldiers. They also are working on making the robots react to verbal commands.

"Currently, you have to control each joint individually with a joystick, and that can take a lot of training to become proficient. We are trying to cut that training down," said Jeffrey D. Rowe, the lead systems engineer at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, where the Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center works to improve robotic technology, among other things.

"We are working so that the operator can have the robotic arm move more naturally," he said. "It'll make it easier and faster in the field so they are concentrating on what they need to do, like diffusing an IED, not on the arm not working."