Is the application of wearable computers in the military field really over? Two projects under study by the Army ―― "Land Warrior" and "Ideal Army Warrior" give diametrically opposite answers, and they even call it the "electronic heart" of soldiers, which is tantamount to a shot in the arm for manufacturers.
Overview of wearable computers
Literally, wearable computers should have similar functions to personal computers. Yes, there is no unique innovation in the function of wearable computers. As we know, its innovation and challenge mainly focus on "wearing".
at present, the biggest market for wearable computers is still the civilian market. Its users include line operators of public facilities, telecommunication technicians, aircraft mechanics and medical personnel. Fault diagnosis and maintenance of equipment is its main application field.
when wearable computers are used in the battlefield, the military puts forward higher requirements for them.
First of all, reliability
As the "electronic heart" of future soldiers, it provides a powerful but stable computing platform for all combat systems, such as future combat systems Ideal Force Warriors. If the platform breaks down, it will bring fatal consequences to the soldiers.
followed by portability
portability is manifested in two aspects: light weight and support for wireless networking. For a project like OFW, it is impossible to accept heavy computing equipment, even a light notebook computer with less than 1 kg is still unsatisfactory. Therefore, how to control the weight of computer components is a challenge that manufacturers must face.
wireless networking technology is equally important for future soldiers. Mature wireless networking technology in the commercial field can provide high-bandwidth and stable connectivity, which enables soldiers to communicate with headquarters or teammates conveniently, and even connect with various networks of the armed forces, so that soldiers can give full play to the effectiveness of future "network-centric warfare".
Then the application system
Without the application system, it is not an exaggeration to call the computer a pile of "scrap iron". How to transplant the existing tactical application system based on desktop computer to wearable computer may be an important market to be developed for software manufacturers.
Finally, it is easy to operate
Wearable computers are easier to operate than personal computers. It can be operated by the wrist keyboard or the programmable keys on the strap, and it can even install operation keys on the weapon so that the soldiers can keep the necessary firing posture.
Wearable Computer and Soldier System
Digitalization will be an eternal theme, whether it is a soldier system under development or an imagined soldier system. Wearable computers provide an integrated platform for digital components in these systems, and its importance can be imagined. The following introduces the application of wearable computers in the battlefield, taking the "land warriors" and "ideal army warriors" of the US Army as examples.
1. Land Warrior
The wearable computer of the Land Warrior project has the same operating system as PC, basically Windows2, the latest one is Windows XP, and even Linux.
The mainframe of the computer is tied to the soldier's back. If the computer is lost for some reason, soldiers can still use the system's video and thermal imaging weapon sight (TWS) through an independent CommNav instrument. The navigator (which is actually a PDA) uses the Intel StrongArm processor (which is dedicated to handheld computers) and runs Windows CE (Windows version dedicated to handheld computers).
Maps and instructions updated regularly, and video images within sight range are all viewed through a monocular head mounted display (HMD). Through the helmet display, soldiers can also view computer-generated image data, digital maps, intelligence information, troop positions or other useful images. If necessary, they can also mix HMD and GPS, which will give soldiers unprecedented situational awareness.
The "touch control" part of the helmet monitor is located on the soldier's chest belt, so it is convenient to control the monitor. In order to reduce the influence of computer operation on soldiers' combat, soldiers can also use two buttons near the trigger to control the display.
The computer has also installed anti-virus software to prevent malicious codes, worms, etc. Power management software provides effective power management for computers. For all portable devices, the continuous supply of power is always a problem.
other software systems provide maps and battlefield layout, navigation information, planning assistance and reporting of firepower and obstacles, logistics planning assistance and tracking, personnel list and time arrangement, and online computer reference materials.
In order to facilitate system upgrade and application software development, the wearable computer of Land Warrior adopts an open architecture. The project team will use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components as much as possible to build the architecture, otherwise it will become a "chimney system".
however, not all land warriors have the same equipment.
in addition to the standardized equipment, the monitor will wear a hand-held monitor whose keyboard can be worn on the wrist. These devices allow them to edit text messages and then send them to their superiors in pulses through radio devices compatible with SINCGARS.
2. Ideal Army Warrior
The OFW project is an improvement on the land warrior project, and it is also developing wearable computers. In this project, the computer is almost a part of the soldier's skin. Its goal is to make soldiers feel its existence.
for engineers, one of the biggest challenges OFW faces is to make the computer have enough power without generating extra heat. The more heat is generated, the easier it is for soldiers to be detected by enemy sensors. Experts are studying the use of battle suits to dissipate heat and designing irregular electrical equipment so that soldiers will not attract the attention of enemy sensors.
As a kind of portable computer, wearable computer can't avoid the common problem of short battery life. Engineers of soldier system are looking for some new technologies, such as air battery (which only needs air and water, but it is not stable at present) and fuel battery (which has a good prospect, but the stability of fuel is not guaranteed) and so on. Andy Taylor, the lead system engineer of OFW, believes that Crusoe processor produced by Transmeta is very suitable for wearable computers. This kind of processor is very small (the latest TM59, which is believed to be the size of a quarter coin), very light and consumes little performance. Because it doesn't need to support some unnecessary applications like other processors. The latest Crusoe processor TM59 works at 8 ~ 1gmhz. < P > Future wearable computers will also have the ability of facial recognition and language translation. Taylor hopes that the wearable computer can finally interpret what someone says (such as Hindi or Persian), and then input it into the system in text format or computer voice in English.
Almost all army research institutions, including the Army Communications and Electronic Command Center, and DARPA, participated in this project.
Key technologies of wearable computers
1. Weaving cables into clothes
Experts in soldier systems are using some special methods to weave cables and optical fibers into textiles, so that wearable computers do not need to add extra weight and occupy extra space because of cables and optical fibers. This special fabric enables soldiers to perform some necessary operations in specific situations with very few steps.
The individual protection team of Nettik Soldier System Center, OFW technical project office and communication and electronic command center in Fort Monmouth, as well as several other military, university and industrial organizations are cooperating in a number of textile-based projects to achieve the above objectives.
Potential solutions include the multi-frequency antenna vest developed by the Naval Graduate School, which enables the traditional wireless antenna to be bound on the soldiers' backs. The frequency range of this antenna is 3 ~ 5 MHz. When an ultra-wideband antenna without visible features is used, its working frequency is 3～2 MHz.
2. Plane connector
At present, the circular connector equipped with Land Warrior computer is bulky and expensive, and it is particularly easy to be damaged because of the pin plug. Exponent Company (one of the two leading technology integrators in the first phase of OFW project) and Thor Electronics Company are developing a flat needle-free connector to replace the old plug, which can significantly reduce the connector cost in the Land Warrior project.
the prototype of this square connector is almost flat (the lightness of portable equipment requires that all electronic components have low cross-section characteristics, that is, the components are flat), and its plug and socket can be closed conveniently or disconnected quickly. It can use either fabric-based bus or traditional cable.
In addition, the American Competitiveness Association in Philadelphia (composed of industry and academia) will also study planar connectors and cables. It can be predicted that commercial finished products (COTS) will become a sharp weapon to reduce production costs.
3. Hybrid optical fiber
Officials of the soldier system claim that the key to eliminating the complicated external cables and making the sensors and electronic components more dispersed is to weave the cables directly into textiles. Photonics Experimental Company and Philadelphia Textile Institute are working hard to weave optical fiber and copper cable into textiles tightly. Using these technologies, in the mass production stage, wires and optical fiber/electronic systems will be directly incorporated into soldiers' combat uniforms.
However, there are still some problems in weaving ordinary cables and optical fibers into textiles, because the structure of textiles is physical and mechanical, which is different from optical fibers or cables. In addition, optical fiber is easy to break when it is bent, and metal cable is easy to get tired when it is bent.
At the Philadelphia Textile Institute, researchers are studying the mechanical properties of optical fibers. According to these properties, textiles can be improved, but they can be woven with optical fibers and conductive wires. Textile experts believe that a considerable number of optical fibers can be bent at will after improvement.
there is also a difficult problem in integrating electronic components into combat uniforms, which is the technology of "needleless sewing".
4. Optical fiber keyboard
In order to make soldiers not have to endure heavy and huge equipment, such as the soldier control unit of the land warrior, WRONZ of Britain developed a "soft switch" fabric keyboard. This keyboard has high sensitivity, and can be operated on the sleeve of the combat suit (BDU) and can be seamlessly integrated into the coat. Like the traditional personal computer keyboard, this keyboard works by sensing the pressure on the keys, and it can be applied to the battlefield. The soldier control unit used in the land warrior project is a box on the chest. If its function is decomposed and then integrated into clothing, the weight can be obviously reduced.
in order to simplify the operation, some interfaces will be designed for specific military functions in the keyboard area on the sleeve of the combat suit. At the same time, the data bus based on textiles will be designed, as well as the connections needed to transmit signals between the keyboard and the control components.
Postscript
Soldiers in the future will be more and more dependent on computers, and wearable computers are undoubtedly the most portable. Although the current wearable devices still have great improvements in performance and functional accessories, this does not hinder their large-scale application in the battlefield.
with the current technological level, it is not difficult to make a mini computer. The difficulty is how to integrate the computer with the whole individual equipment system, so that soldiers can not feel its existence, but they can use it at any time to enhance their situational awareness, combat capability and survivability.