Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Tracking the troops
4/24/06

Posted on 04/25/2006 2:04:45 PM PDT by LibWhacker

A vision system that helps soldiers plan a route through the chaos of the battlefield will undergo tests on both sides of the Atlantic.

The system, called Primordial Soldier, will provide soldiers with a real-time picture of where troops are in relation to each other and a digital rendering of the route they should follow.

It is about to undergo trials with US special forces and has been bought by the UK arm of MBDA Missiles. MBDA plans to carry out conceptual research on the system to learn how using such technology affects a soldier's decision-making capability in the field.

Developed by US firm Primordial, the system uses a combination of commercial off-the-shelf hardware and its own patented software. Randy Milbert, Primordial's president, hopes it will eventually be integrated into the US Army's planned Future Force Warrior, an ambitious programme that will use a range of new technologies to create a lightweight combat system for soldiers.

Primordial Soldier uses a lightweight plexiglass display screen attached to the helmet that drops down in front of the eye. This NOMAD display, developed by Microvision, is red-tinted and reflects light directly onto the retina without impairing the eyesight - a great improvement on current systems, said Milbert.

The display screen is connected to a handheld computer and radio system supporting mesh networking that allows several soldiers to communicate with each other. It also includes an integrated GPS system for situational awareness.

Another piece of hardware is the 'headtracker', a cube that determines to a high level of accuracy the orientation of the soldier's head, showing in which direction they are looking. 'The head tracker is essential for properly overlaying the information in the head-mounted display,' said Milbert. 'As the head moves the information is updated instantly on the HUD to give an accurate representation of where all the units on the field are.'

An optional component of the system is the Rockwell Collins DRAGN dead-reckoning module, which provides soldiers with positional information when there is no GPS coverage. 'A dead-reckoning module is essentially a step counter, which follows your steps and works out your relative position from your starting position. It is less accurate than GPS but very useful for working in caves or inside buildings,' explained Milbert.

The most innovative aspect is the patented Ground Guidance software, which fuses road maps with aerial imagery to provide soldiers with automatic off-road navigation. In practice, a commander would click on a map on his PDA where he wanted the soldiers to go and the software would work out the best route for getting there. The route takes into account not only the distance travelled but also elevation, inclines and even terrain.

The commander can also demarcate an area that is out of bounds, such as a minefield, and the software will plan the route around it. Milbert said: 'There is no other system out there like it. It is particularly useful for special forces as they are not always interested in the quickest route but may be looking for the route with the best coverage, for example. This takes all these factors into consideration.'

Other soldiers wearing the same system will appear on the soldier's display screen as 'friendly'. Milbert envisages that the system will be integrated in the future with UAVs that can continuously monitor the battlefield and update the system with real-time data that can be streamed to the display screen.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: awareness; battlefield; digital; display; force; future; futurewarrior; headsup; picture; plan; primordial; realtime; rendering; route; situational; soldier; system; tracking; vision; warrior

1 posted on 04/25/2006 2:04:48 PM PDT by LibWhacker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: LibWhacker

Starship Troopers comes to life.


2 posted on 04/25/2006 2:05:48 PM PDT by Yo-Yo (USAF, TAC, 12th AF, 366 TFW, 366 MG, 366 CRS, Mtn Home AFB, 1978-81)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: LibWhacker

How about a hand held nuke to allow the troops to remove anything in their way rather than a pie in the sky gee whiz gadget that takes video gaming to a new level?

I guess if it help to get a few more rag heads and saves friendly fire from happening it is ok.


3 posted on 04/25/2006 2:10:23 PM PDT by Meadow Muffin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Yo-Yo

More like the new Ghost Recon on Xbox


4 posted on 04/25/2006 2:11:32 PM PDT by Waverunner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: LibWhacker
Good afternoon.

Where were all these cool toys back in the day?

The first old cavalrymen to use stirrups probably thought the same thing.

Michael Frazier
5 posted on 04/25/2006 2:53:33 PM PDT by brazzaville (no surrender no retreat, well, maybe retreat's ok)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Yo-Yo
Good afternoon.
"Starship Troopers comes to life."

I wonder if the DARPA researchers read David Drake? Much of what is being created comes straight out of his works.

Michael Frazier
6 posted on 04/25/2006 2:59:03 PM PDT by brazzaville (no surrender no retreat, well, maybe retreat's ok)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: brazzaville

I'm sure DARPA researchers read all sorts of sci-fi. How else are they supposed to know what to build? ;^)


7 posted on 04/25/2006 3:21:31 PM PDT by Yo-Yo (USAF, TAC, 12th AF, 366 TFW, 366 MG, 366 CRS, Mtn Home AFB, 1978-81)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: LibWhacker

Great tcchnology!! This is fine as long as the enemy does not capture any of these devices and begin tracking our troops.


8 posted on 04/25/2006 3:27:10 PM PDT by Col. Bob (To give in is to commit national suicide)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: LibWhacker
Aw-Right! Great! Fan-(expletive deleted)tastic! Another gadget that will give commanders the opportunity to micro-manage from the rear, and also distract the soldier from immediate battlefield threats.

Give the troops a map and compass and teach them how to use them.

9 posted on 04/25/2006 4:12:24 PM PDT by Sarajevo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson